Manchester City have achieved club record turnover in the past twelve months, with their brand once again rated more highly than local rivals Manchester United ahead of Sunday's derby, live on Sky Sports.
Earlier this week, a hearing into City's alleged breaches of more than 100 financial regulations concluded in London, with the outcome expected in the spring. City denies all these allegations.
Their annual report, released on Friday morning, provided a snapshot of their current financial situation, with the club's turnover increasing by £2.2 million to £715 million.
City also made a profit of £73.8 million – their second highest ever profit figure, down £6.6 million on the previous twelve months, when they won the treble and received additional prize money and broadcast income as a result of their performance on the field. City made £139 million in profits from player sales.
City also remains the most valuable football club brand in the Premier League, with United once again finishing in second place. The Brand Finance Football 50 Report values City at £1.33 billion and United at £1.16 billion.
These positive figures for City contrast with the financial situation at United at the moment, ahead of their meeting at the Etihad this weekend.
United made a £113m loss last year and have not made an annual profit since 2019.
There have been widespread redundancies at United, with Christmas bonuses for staff cut and ticket prices for fans rising.
Man City: the most watched club in the world?
City also claims in the annual report to be the most watched football team in the world.
They attribute this to a combination of 10.1 billion video views across their social media platforms, 1.5 billion engagements across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and delayed broadcasts and highlights). .
Man City's charge: what's the latest?
The hearing into the financial charges between the Premier League and Manchester City has now ended.
It was held at the International Dispute Resolution Center near St Paul's in London and started on September 16, before ending twelve weeks later, last Friday, on December 6.
A decision is expected in the spring, most likely around March.
Both parties have the right to appeal, which would take several months.
In February 2023, the Premier League accused City of breaching more than 100 of its financial rules.
The alleged infringements cover the period between 2009 and 2018.
The city denies all charges, including:
City had a two-year UEFA ban overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July 2020 and in 2014 the club was fined £49 million for breaching UEFA's FFP rules, of which £32 million was suspended.
What could happen to City if they are found guilty?
Under Premier League rules, any punishment could be a points deduction or even the threat of expulsion from the Premier League – although this would be an extreme punishment.
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