Man City panel chair is an Arsenal member after Premier League charges
Lawyer who will head the Premier League panel looking into Man City’s alleged rule breaches is an ARSENAL member… with the champions facing the threat of points deduction or even expulsion if found guilty
The independent commission into Manchester City’s alleged rule breaches will be chaired by an Arsenal member.
Murray Rosen KC will oversee the private and confidential proceedings which could result in the reigning Premier League champions being hit with a points deduction or even expulsion from the competition.
As head of the Premier League’s Judicial Panel, Rosen will select the individuals to sit alongside him on the commission to consider City’s alleged rule breaches.
His biography on the website of barristers 4 New Square says Rosen ‘has participated in sport all his life, is a member of the MCC [Marylebone Cricket Club] and Arsenal FC, and still regularly plays real tennis and ping pong.’
Arsenal and City are currently fighting it out for the Premier League title.
Murray Rosen KC is head of the Premier League’s Judicial Panel and will chair the independent commission looking into alleged rule breaches by Manchester City
Manchester City could face heavy sanctions if they are found guilty of the rule breaches
Arsenal will have no direct involvement in the commission which will decide City’s fate. The Premier League’s statement said ‘commissions are independent of the Premier League and member clubs.
‘The members of the commission will be appointed by the independent chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel.
‘The proceedings before the commission will, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82, be confidential and heard in private.’
City executives were left stunned when Premier League legal papers were served at 10.15am on Monday morning.
A statement outlined charges against the club relating to financial information regarding revenue, details of manager and player remuneration, UEFA regulations, profitability and sustainability, and co-operation with Premier League investigations.
The alleged breaches of Premier League rules cover the period from September 2009 until the 2017-18 season.
If City are found guilty, potential sanctions include a points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League – though it could take years to reach a conclusion.
Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour pictured speaking to chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak
If found guilty, Man City (Erling Haaland pictured) could face a points deduction or expulsion
The club said a ‘comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of its position’ and ‘looks forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.’
Rosen has specialised in sports disputes since 2016.
His profile says he is an arbitrator at the Court of Arbitration for Sport [CAS] in Lausanne, where he has sat on more than 20 cases.
It was at CAS that City successfully overturned the two-year Champions League ban imposed by UEFA in 2020.
CAS said ‘most of the alleged breaches [in UEFA’s case] were either not established or time-barred.’ Rosen was not on the CAS arbitration panel for that case.
However, the Premier League has been able to bring charges following a highly secretive four-year investigation into allegations that first emerged in the 2018 Football Leaks cache of documents.
Murray Rosen’s online biography states he is a member at Arsenal and also of the MCC. He also enjoys playing real tennis and table tennis
Arsenal and Manchester City are currently fighting it out at the top of the Premier League
Rosen was the first chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel when it was created in 2020.
He holds an MA in Philosophy and Law from Trinity College, Cambridge, a Diploma in EU and Civil Law from the Brussels Free University, and an MA in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute London.
He has previously acted on behalf of stars such as Robbie Williams and Paul McCartney, as well as bands The Who and Duran Duran.
Rosen’s profile continues: ‘He is a strong believer in fairness and in the power and benefits of sports and has a keen appreciation of its social, political and financial aspects.
‘His knowledge of the sports scene and the issues which arise, both commercial and regulatory, in relation to the governance of sport, and its competitions and events, makes him a sympathetic hands-on tribunal chairman and a successful mediator.’