Even if Richard Masters had provided a standard ‘no comment’ response, it would have been preferable to completely avoiding discussion about the Premier League’s allegations against Manchester City. Masters launched 2025 with a sit-down interview on a new Sky Sports podcast, but it lacked depth and impact. Hearing him talk, you wouldn’t realize that he is the leader of the Premier League currently embroiled in a major legal conflict with its defending champions, especially after losing a recent court case against the same team that led to a major rule modification. Masters did mention the Profit and Sustainability Rules that need to be revised after City managed to demonstrate that the previous version violated UK competition law. After attempting to clarify the newly suggested rules by comparing them to UEFA’s, he stated: “We believe that the threshold for allowed losses is appropriately set and we will see if the clubs approve it as the season progresses.” That’s where the legal discussion ended. There was no mention of the independent panel in the PSR case that ruled strongly against the Premier League (although their response claimed an inexplicable victory, which isn’t surprising), and no questions were directed at him regarding the 115 charges against City that were addressed at the end of 2024. It’s not as if Sky Sports (and other outlets) haven’t been discussing the charges for two years—they would surely want updates from the most relevant individual. All he needed to do was dismiss the question and continue. It would have been reasonable and completely understandable. A decision is anticipated this year, probably in the early months of 2025, which will decide whether City has consistently violated financial regulations or if the Premier League has made serious claims without enough evidence to support them. Regardless of the outcome, it will have significant repercussions on English football, and Masters is an important figure in this narrative. He has previously commented on the case, even mentioning that he cannot discuss it, so his silence now suggests a calculated media strategy aimed at improving his image at the beginning of a crucial year for his career. These interviews occur regularly, but there are circumstances where they aren’t necessary. What he did address was the importance of ‘enforcing the rules.’
