'Frustrated' Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak calls for 'more sense in regulation' | soccer news

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has urged football officials to be “more cautious” in how they regulate football finances.

Khaldun said this in an in-house interview recorded last Saturday. times It was reported on Tuesday that City had filed a legal action challenging the validity of the Premier League's affiliated party trading (APT) rules.

In the same interview, Khaldun admitted that the hearing of 115 Premier League charges against the club for breaching financial rules “took longer than anyone expected” to get through.

Transfer market Khaldoon: “We will never see the same level”

Khaldun was asked about his views on the regulatory environment facing City and all clubs across Europe and whether he expects this to have an impact on the transfer market this summer.

Clubs participating in UEFA competitions next season will only be able to spend 80% of their income on squad costs such as player wages, transfer fees and agent fees, after which this figure will be reduced to 70%.

“I hope there will be more sensitivity to regulation and there will always be a balanced approach,” Khaldun said in an interview published Wednesday.

“This is good for all leagues, whether it’s England or the rest of Europe. I don’t think we’ll see the same levels (of transfer spending) that we’ve seen over the last few years because of the level of regulation, which has been in place for the last 12 months.”

Khaldun said the regulator's focus should be on player workload rather than club spending.

“The message I'm sending here is let's focus on mental health. Let's focus on the physical health of the players,” he said.

“I think this is very important rather than spending too much time on regulatory issues that slows down the growth of the game.”

times The city's objections to the APT rules will be aired in an arbitration hearing starting Monday, according to reports.

APT rules are designed to ensure that commercial transactions or player transfers between a club and an entity linked to that club's ownership are carried out at fair market value, so that club revenues are not artificially inflated.

times The rule will be challenged under competition law and the Premier League said it had sought support from other clubs in its defense against the claims.

A successful challenge to declare the APT rules illegal would give clubs the freedom to strike commercial deals without independent oversight. A ruling in City's favor could have a wider impact on Premier League governance, with rule changes decided by a majority vote between clubs.

‘Mentions are always frustrating’

City are also preparing to defend themselves against 115 charges brought by the Premier League for breaching financial rules.

Hearings in the case are expected to begin in the autumn, and Khaldun said it was “disappointing” that the allegations were being mentioned so often as City moved closer to, and ultimately confirmed, a fourth successive Premier League title last month.

“Of course I’m disappointed,” Khaldun added in the interview. “I think those comments are always disappointing, the way it's talked about, of course, makes our fan base and everyone associated with the club feel like they're constantly referring to these accusations.

“We have to respect that as a club there is a process we have to go through and we will go through it.

“It's taking longer than anyone would have hoped, but it's what it is. Let's judge it based on the facts, not the claims and counterclaims.”

The Manchester City chairman wants to find the 'right solution' to Pep Guardiola's future puzzle.

Meanwhile, Khaldoon Al Mubarak expects to find the “right solution” over Pep Guardiola's future, but has not revealed what that will be.

Guardiola, who has a contract at the Etihad Stadium until 2025, hinted next season could be his last at the club after leading City to a fourth successive Premier League title last month.

However, during his tenure, the Spaniard has preferred relatively short contracts and has previously entered the latter stages of a deal before re-signing.

So what happens after the end of next season is still unclear.

In his end-of-season review, Khaldun told the club's media channels:

“Pep has always been fully committed to this club and every contract he signed with us.

“Decisions about his future are always decisions we make together and I have no doubt that we will find the right solution that works for Pep and works for us, as we always have.”

Over the past seven years since taking office in 2016, Coach Guardiola has won the Premier League six times, as well as the Champions League, Club World Cup, FA Cup twice, and League Cup four times.

“It’s hard to put into words what Pep has given to this organization and this club,” Khaldun said.

“For history purposes, you just have to look at the records, and I think he put together almost every record in the book.

“These records are very difficult to break, from 6 wins in the last 7 league games to 4 wins in a row and the number of championships. The records just keep going.

“But beyond that, I think what an impact he has had on football. English football has changed with the evolution to the type of football that Pep brought to the league.”

What’s next for City? ‘We’re going to go five in a row’

Having become the first club in English football history to win four top-flight titles, Khaldun's next target will no doubt be to reach five.

“We’ve done it four times in a row, now we’re trying to do it five times in a row,” he said.

“By the way, in our minds, five goals in a row happened at the second final whistle against West Ham.

“I remember going down to the stadium and saying to almost everyone I saw, ‘It’s a great, fantastic result, we’re so proud, but now we’re going to play five in a row’.”

The 2023/24 campaign ended poorly with defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup final, but Khaldun expects to use that defeat as motivation for next term.

“Obviously everyone wanted to win, it's the FA Cup and we've had back-to-back double-doubles against Manchester United, so from that perspective (we're) very disappointed,” he said.

“But you always have to think on the silver lining. One of the things you always want to avoid is complacency. You never want to be satisfied, you want to keep that hunger going.

“Now we come back even hungrier because we want to win again. We want to challenge for the treble again and we will try to win every competition we enter.”