MLS rules out NYCFC investigation after Manchester City verdict
MLS commissioner Don Garber has ruled out an investigation into New York City FC following Manchester City’s financial misconduct verdict, saying the league assesses owners against its own rules.
Major League Soccer will not investigate New York City FC in response to the financial misconduct findings against Manchester City, despite both clubs belonging to City Football Group.Commissioner Don Garber said MLS would judge ownership conduct within its own competition, distinguishing the Premier League proceedings from the governance requirements applying to CFG’s US franchise.Speaking at Front Office Sports’ ‘Tuned In’ summit, Garber said: “MLS is looking at how owners act in accordance with our rules here in Major League Soccer. I will say that what NYCFC has done through their own ownership, the City Football Group and investing in our league, building a great team in NYCFC, building an MLS Next Pro stadium in New Jersey, and obviously their stadium that will open up in Queens is something we’re thankful for and appreciative of.“But we’re not in the business of looking at what our team owners do in other leagues, and frankly I don’t think any league would view what other owners do when they have multiple investments throughout other sports.“The concept of multiple team ownership is something that we all live through, manage through, and we have our own governance as it relates to what their behavior is.”Manchester City are appealing an independent commission’s findings concerning extensive breaches of Premier League financial rules between 2009 and 2018, including arrangements used to disguise funding and misstate the club’s financial position.The club deny wrongdoing, while the verdict has prompted questions in England about the potential implications for owners, directors and senior executives.No allegations of financial wrongdoing have been made against NYCFC, who joined MLS in 2015 and operate with a separate executive team.The clubs nevertheless share ownership and senior group leadership, with Khaldoon al-Mubarak chairing both Manchester City and CFG and Ferran Soriano serving as chief executive of both organisations.NYCFC chief financial officer Andrew Widdowson previously held senior finance roles at Manchester City between 2005 and 2018 before moving to New York to assist with the stadium financing project.That employment history does not itself establish wrongdoing, but forms part of the organisational connections between the clubs.Their commercial relationships also overlap through Etihad Airways, which sponsors both teams’ shirts and holds naming rights to NYCFC’s Etihad Park stadium in Queens, scheduled to open in summer 2027.Garber’s comments placed particular emphasis on CFG’s infrastructure investment, identifying the Queens project and an MLS Next Pro stadium in New Jersey as contributions valued by the league.His position illustrates how multi-club groups operate across separate regulatory systems, with a finding in one competition not automatically triggering an investigation elsewhere.In England, Independent Football Regulator chair David Kogan has said any response concerning City’s ownership would follow the appeal and depend on investigation and legal advice.MLS has instead made clear that, without an issue arising under its own rules, the Manchester proceedings will not prompt a parallel examination of NYCFC.