Football regulation

SIR – The Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations (PSR), then known as financial fair play (FFP), were introduced in 2013, and were meant to control spending and prevent clubs going into administration.

The League did nothing for almost 10 years, with not a single charge laid against any club. Suddenly, the charges against Manchester City (Letters, April 14) were rushed out on the morning the Government announced plans for an independent football regulator. Since then the League has been trying to show how strong it is by punishing Everton and Nottingham Forest.

The League has charged City with 115 offences. Of them, 54 relate to reporting inaccurate financial accounts, 14 to falsifying how staff were paid, five to breaches of Uefa FFP rules, 35 to not cooperating, and seven to breaches of PSR. The League is suggesting that City may have falsified its accounts, which is potentially criminal. These accounts are legally required to be prepared under UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice, and to be audited by independent accountants.

However, HMRC has never challenged the club’s accounts or tax affairs, and there are also questions of double jeopardy for City, as it was proven at the Court of Arbitration for Sport not to have breached any Uefa FFP rules, but was fined for not cooperating. The League has a much higher burden of proof regarding these charges than with the Everton and Forest cases.

As a blue, I believe that if the club has cheated, it should be punished, tarnishing some of the greatest achievements ever seen on the pitch. But the only thing that is clear at present is that PSR stifles ambition, is not fit for purpose, and the League is making a mess of regulating itself. Andrew Holgate

Wilmslow, Cheshire

SIR – Many fans of Premier League clubs act strangely. They think they own the club they support, which they don’t. They expect those who do own the club to spend vast amounts of their own money on world-class players, which they shouldn’t have to do. They want the club to buy the best players, who they often can’t afford.

When the best players are signed, the same fans object to the salaries these players are paid. When the club fails to win a trophy, they blame the manager. And when all this has happened, they return to blaming the owners. They fail to appreciate that, if there is one trophy at stake, only one club can win it.

It’s for these reasons that I support my local semi-professional team. I encourage others to do the same. David S Ainsworth

Manchester