Premier League braced for outcome of fair play probe

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says they "don't want to normalise asterisks on the league table" as the competition faces up to a potentially critical season over its regulatory future. With the Manchester City case expected to finally have an outcome by April, that potentially seismic decision hangs over the entirety of the new season, which is due to start on Friday. Masters kept his stance of refusing to discuss any element of it, other than to say "of course we contemplate at its conclusion what might happen and we think about that a lot".

- MIGUEL DELANEY

City insist on their innocence. While that outcome could nevertheless change the face of football, it is only the biggest of many regulatory issues. Chelsea are under investigation for alleged historical rule-breaking under Roman Abramovich, with Masters stating that process is now "reaching a 'conclusionary' phase". Newly-promoted Leicester City have similarly been charged for alleged breaches of profit and sustainability rules, with Everton also facing up to a third points deduction in a year after reports of more financial breaches being discovered. Such situations could yet leave a table that is filled with asterisks, as the Premier League at the same time "shadows" changes to the regulations that are set to come into force in 2025-26.

That will eventually mean clubs have to meet a year-on-year squad cost ratio of 70 per cent, and the optimistic stance within the Premier League is that all of the current issues are just a temporary adaptation to changed circumstances, where the regulatory framework merely requires updating. Masters did state "the economic shadow of Covid is still with us".