City threaten Tebas with legal action

Manchester City have threatened La Liga president Javier Tebas with legal action after he said their partnership with Spanish club Girona was an attempt to cook the books. Tebas made his remarks during an appearance at the Soccerex football conference in Manchester on Wednesday. He said City and French giants Paris Saint-Germain were destroying football with state-enabled spending. But a City spokeswoman, in a statement released late on Wednesday, said, "Mr Tebas's statements are ill-informed and in parts pure fiction." "As you would expect, Manchester City Football Club and the City Football Group are seeking appropriate legal counsel and will act accordingly on that advice."

1) Man City threaten legal action after La Liga chief Javier Tebas accuses them of financial doping |@DiscoMirrorhttps://t.co/KK4MthZFKm pic.twitter.com/M7no9f2Wd3

— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) September 6, 2017

PSG prised Neymar from Barcelona in a world-record 222m euros ($265m) deal and have also signed Kylian Mbappe from Monaco in a move that could be worth 180m euros. City outspent any other European club in the transfer window by lavishing around £221m (242m euros, $288m) on new players. Tebas said the assistance City and PSG received from their respective Emirati and Qatari backers amounted to "financial doping". He said the two clubs were laughing at European governing body UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules, which oblige clubs to minimise their losses.

"Mr Tebas's statements are ill-informed and in parts pure fiction," said a @ManCity spokeswomanhttps://t.co/xd5RNw5wrX— FirstpostSports (@FirstpostSports) September 7, 2017

UEFA has opened an investigation into PSG's transfer dealings, but City are not under investigation. In particular, Tebas raised questions about the legitimacy of City's decision to loan five players to Girona for the coming season, suggesting the players had been undervalued. Asked if City and Girona were trying to cook the books, Tebas replied, "They were trying to, but they didn't manage to do it." City purchased a 44.3 percent stake in Girona last month, matching the stake already held by City manager Pep Guardiola's brother Pere.

Manchester City's reaction to Javier Tebas' drivel is short and sweet. The club is considering legal action. pic.twitter.com/S1esk1uT9f

— City Watch (@City_Watch) September 6, 2017

Girona were promoted to the Spanish top flight last season. Tebas is reported to have held a meeting to discuss the matter with City chief executive Ferran Soriano on Wednesday.

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Also Read: La Liga chief Tebas says PSG make mockery of system

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France's Professional Football League has strongly criticised Tebas. "These unworthy remarks are unbecoming of an institution as respectable and successful as the Spanish Liga," the LFP said.