Is the "Red Cartel" claim true? Manchester City's objection

As Liverpool and Arsenal face each other at Anfield on Sunday, the debate has resurfaced over whether the three clubs Manchester City calls the "Red Cartel" really form an alliance. City face heavy sanctions after being found to have breached Premier League rules 114 times over nine seasons. Some of its supporters argue that the big three keep the top of the league within a closed circle.

Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole has voiced a similar view. In his opinion, current regulations do not allow ambitious clubs to rise, as was the case when Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea. However, when it was found that City inflated its revenue by more than 1 billion dollars through "fake" contracts, it became clear that this criticism is not one-sided.

The data shows that the period when Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United were all in the top four at the same time is quite short. All three were in the top four in 10 of the 11 seasons between 1996 and 2009. Since the 2008/09 season, the three have never finished in the top four together. This season all three are playing in the Champions League. In the years in between, Arsenal and Liverpool each dropped to eighth place twice, while Manchester United fell as low as 15th.

The revenue picture has also changed markedly. In 2008, Manchester United, with 324.8 million euros, was the second richest club in Europe. In the same period, City's revenue stood at just 104 million euros. In 2024/25, England's richest club was Liverpool with 836.1 million euros. Aston Villa, in seventh place, reached revenue of 450.2 million euros.

This picture shows that both sides have a point. The big three's long dominance is a historical fact. However, City's violations are also documented by official findings.