Original Coverage & Source Attribution: sports.yahoo.com
Amanda Staveley has urged the Premier League to take the high road when sanctioning Manchester City for their historic breach of financial rules.
She argued that both parties should approach the situation with caution and find common ground that protects the future of English football, rather than risk a prolonged battle.
Staveley helped broker an agreement for Abu Dhabi to take over City in a £200 million deal in 2008.
She claims that building bridges would be better than imposing a punishment that City have already pledged to challenge.
The Premier League charged City with 115 breaches of the league’s financial rules and have found them guilty of all but one.
The case has been in the pipeline for the past seven years, but an independent commission has now found the club guilty of all financial breach-related charges.
City are still defiantly claiming innocence and have already appealed the ruling.
If that fails, they could face severe consequences ranging from points deduction to relegation from the top flight depending on the ruling of an independent commission.
However, Staveley believes the situation should be handled carefully. She believes the impact could stretch beyond the Premier League given English football’s standing across the globe.
“You’ve got so much pressure on football,” she said (via Daily Mail). “I think we should just focus on the future, getting it right and trying to build bridges with our neighbours.
“I think it will get resolved. The Premier League had a difficult thing, an opportunity (to bring the case).
“You’ve got to put yourself in their position. You’ve got 20 clubs. Half of them are shouting at you to do one thing, the other 10 clubs are shouting at you to do another.
“As an executive, you’re always pulled, you’re always being threatened to be sued by one club. Clubs are meant to be co-owners of one league. So, to navigate all of that is really tough.
“With how important the Premier League is, we have such an exciting league. European football is potentially the most watched sport in the world, and we should really nurture this asset.
“We should nurture our fans and do everything we can to resolve the issues that exist today.”
