Skip to main content The Sentinel - Latest local news, sport & business from Stoke News Local News Stoke City FC What's On More News Latest News Stoke-on-Trent News Traffic & Travel Court Crime Celebs & TV Education Health Politics Celebs & TV Property Motoring UK & World News News By Area" In Your Area Stoke-on-Trent News Staffordshire Police Stoke-on-Trent City Council Royal Stoke University Hospital Stoke Hanley Burslem Longton Tunstall Fenton North Staffordshire Newcastle-under-Lyme Leek Kidsgrove Biddulph Cheadle Stone What's On Latest What's On Food & Drink Family & Kids Music & Nightlife Shopping Alton Towers Trentham Estate Way We Were Partner Stories Sport Stoke City FC Football Cricket CLOSE Buy a Paper Funeral Notices Jobs Book an ad Buy a photo Advertise with us Public Notices Newsletter Signup Public Notices News Latest News Stoke-on-Trent News Traffic & Travel Court Crime Celebs & TV Education Health Politics Celebs & TV Property Motoring UK & World News News By Area" In Your Area Stoke-on-Trent News Staffordshire Police Stoke-on-Trent City Council Royal Stoke University Hospital Stoke Hanley Burslem Longton Tunstall Fenton North Staffordshire Newcastle-under-Lyme Leek Kidsgrove Biddulph Cheadle Stone What's On Latest What's On Food & Drink Family & Kids Music & Nightlife Shopping Alton Towers Trentham Estate Way We Were Partner Stories Sport Stoke City FC Football Cricket Buy a Paper Funeral Notices Jobs Book an ad Buy a photo Advertise with us Public Notices Newsletter Signup Public Notices Sport Football Stoke City FC Stoke City's owners played by the rules and £900m Man City reveal exposes major problem Some Manchester City supporters have brought up their owners' investment in the community to excuse their football finance rule breaking but that hasn't cut Stoke City's owners any slack - and nor would they expect it Add to preferred sources Comments 3 Sportopinion Peter Smith Stoke City reporter 12:00, 06 Oct 2026 Updated 13:55, 06 Oct 2026 View Image Stoke City lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City in 2011(Image: Richard Heathcote - The FA/The FA via Getty Images) There seem to be two main Stoke City-related angles to the Manchester City saga. Firstly, they were beaten by Man City in the 2011 FA Cup final which started the latter’s dominance of domestic competitions for the next 15 years. Secondly, Stoke are also owned by billionaires – but their billionaires have been hamstrung by the rules which been run roughshod over by Man City. Article continues below It’s not that Stoke’s board has liked FFP or PSR or SCR or even that they have been holier than thou about the principles. They have lobbied vigorously for change and hired some of the brainiest sports lawyers in the business to make sure they can squeeze every penny from staying on the right side of the line – to the point that, in the spring of 2021, the club sold the bet365 Stadium to bet365, which was basically its parent company. They weren’t the first to do that and Derby County came a cropper for inflating the market value of Pride Park when it was bought by owner Mel Morris. Other jiggery-pokery or creative thinking has seen Birmingham City and Aston Villa sell their women’s teams to their owners or Newcastle United having to sell academy graduate Elliot Anderson because he was an academy product who made “pure profit” on the balance sheet. Article continues below It has seemed like more and more clubs have been trying to find more and more cheeky but legal ways to keep up with the Joneses. There are Championship clubs trying to keep up with yo-yo clubs, who are trying to keep up with the top flight mainstays, who are chasing the Europe hunters, who are trying to hang onto the coattails of the trophy hoarders. Simon King on Stoke City concert wish and raising transfer funds while sticking to principles 'We need more tap-ins': New Stoke City coach on building identity FOLLOW OUR FACEBOOK PAGE!Latest Stoke City news, analysis and more via the Sentinel Except it turns out the one at the top has been skewing everything because they were sneakily dipping into a extra £900m or thereabouts to get further and further ahead. The transfer market, wage budgets and the gaps between rankings have been turbocharged by Man City’s near-limitless spending power. Get More of Our News on Google Set The Sentinel as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value. It is true, as some Man City fans have not tired of pointing out, that spending power has also been used to help regenerate East Manchester. It is an area reborn, as Robert Huth spoke about to The Sentinel last week. It is sad if philanthropy comes with a threat of pulling the plug unless there is special treatment. The Telegraph reports that the United Arab Emirates has warned the UK Government that bilateral investments could be cancelled if Man City are punished for being found guilty. We are in danger of slipping into a Dickens novel comparing good and bad rich people but bear with us. The Coates family behind Stoke City have faced criticism for making money through gambling just as oil money from the Emirates doesn’t often get a positive press. The Coates have also been among the UK’s leading taxpayers while doing so, staying loyal to the Potteries to create thousands of good jobs and putting money into everything from theatre to hospice care. That hasn’t prevented chairman John Coates from an earbashing when results have been poor but some Stoke supporters on social media have been suggesting that it is unlikely they would pull that money out of the community if the EFL didn’t let them cook the books. One post that went viral, from FPL Potter, said: “The Coates family are worth billions, yet throughout their ownership of Stoke City we've still had to operate within the same rules as everyone else. “They've invested hugely in Stoke-on-Trent, creating jobs through bet365 and contributing millions to local charities, education and the NHS. But none of that gives them, or anyone else, a free pass on football's financial regulations. Article continues below “If the allegations against Man City are proven, the ramifications are enormous. The damage done to the integrity of the game would be immeasurable. Yet all we seem to hear is denial and deflection.” Stoke’s chief operating officer Simon King was asked about balancing principles and financial demands in an hour-long interview for the Potters Pod podcast this week. The overriding tone was that it was hard and often frustrating to stay on the right side of the rules when you’ve got the money to do what you want - but that didn't mean there was another option. Man City are going to have to jump through hoops to convince anyone that there was. Article continues below What do you think? Click HERE to join the debate Get YOUR Stoke City Newsletter Get the best Stoke City news and analysis straight to your Inbox courtesy of The Sentinel! To get it, it's a quick and easy one-two: 1. HeadTHIS WAY 2. Enter your email and hit Subscribe. Peter Smith Peter Smith has reported on Stoke City for The Sentinel and StokeonTrentLive since 2013, following the club in the Premier League, Championship and beyond. He has been watching Stoke since 1990 and has a passion for the history of the club. This era following Stoke has included highs under Mark Hughes, bloodying the nose of some of the biggest names in football and including trips to Singapore, Germany, France, Croatia and Switzerland. There has been plenty of drama too as Stoke have slipped out of the spotlight and through a succession of managers and dozens of players as they have tried to recover a sense of progress. ENJOYED THIS STORY? Choose The Sentinel as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value. 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Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: www.stokesentinel.co.uk