Manchester City - which has the distinction of being "an annoying team with huge financial potential" - has become the biggest force in the English Premier League over the past years.
However, he now faces an uncertain future with a great risk of being excluded from the Premier League.
The English Premier League, "Citizens", which was acquired by the Abu Dhabi United Development and Investment Group since 2008, was accused of committing more than 100 violations of its financial rules between the 2009-2010 and 2017-2018 seasons, and it was referred to an independent investigation committee.
The England champions have also been accused of not cooperating with investigations by the League.
In the event of conviction, the penalties range from a warning to deduction of points, and even the League’s recommendation to exclude the club from the tournament.
It seems that Man City, who topped Deloitte's list of the world's richest clubs last month, is confident of his ability to weather the storm, insisting that there is "irrefutable" evidence supporting his case.
It is not the first time that the club has entered into a legal controversy over financial issues, as it was fined 60 million euros ($ 64 million) in 2014 for violating the European Football Association's (UEFA) financial fair play regulations.
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The club was also banned for two years from UEFA competitions in February 2020 by European football's governing body for "serious financial breaches of fair play", but the punishment was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport later that year.
And last year, Spain's Pep Guardiola, "City" coach, made it clear that he would leave the club if he discovered that the club's owners lied to him, which is the worst scenario for City, who won 4 Premier League titles in the last five years under his leadership.
Henry Winter, The Times' chief football writer, said City faced "allegations of wrongdoing on an industrial scale ... If proven, the penalty that might follow should be designed to deter others who think they can copy from City's book".
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But Simon Chadwick, professor of sports and geopolitical economics at Schema Business School in Paris, said broader issues are at play.
He noted that the British government would soon publish a white paper (an advisory document) that could form the basis of legislation, and is expected to support the creation of an independent football regulatory body.
"The Premier League is caught between a rock and a hard place as it feels pressure from government to take a more aggressive approach to finance and governance, but also realizes that government is essentially letting him do his dirty work for it," Chadwick said.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire also sheds light on the political context of the government's campaign to change the management of football.
"The Premier League opposes the existence of an independent regulator in football and I do not want to go down the path of a huge (theory) conspiracy, but the Premier League wants to prove to all interested parties that it is able to keep its house," he explained.
"If you don't undermine Britain's competitive advantage in football, you will have no indication that Britain will impose strict rules on foreign investors," he added.
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Neither Maguire nor Chadwick believe City face a realistic prospect of relegation, with the latter believing a settlement is the most likely outcome of what could be a long run.
"This is a struggle of our time," said Chadwick, who stresses the importance of foreign money in English football.
"The British government and the English Premier League cannot arouse discontent, drive away potential foreign investment, especially after Brexit, and during this very difficult economic period," he added.
Chadwick believes the eventual outcome of the Manchester City case "will show capitulation on the part of the Premier League and the British government".