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Manchester City reaffirmed that no rules have been broken in Frank Lampard’s contract extension from New York City FC. There have been some serious questions raised over the midfielder’s registration.
Lampard was set to join the Major League Soccer (MLS) side, after completing his short term loan this month. However, he has decided to stay on at Manchester City, which has raised eyebrows over his ownership.
Both Manchester City and New York City have not released statements about the issue, but the Premier League has found the nature of the deal satisfactory.
Lampard signed for City Football Group, not New York City FC
A statement from the league said, “Frank Lampard is registered as a Manchester City player until the end of the 2014-15 season. The Premier League has sought and received assurances from Manchester City that there is no agreement in place between the club or City Football Group with New York City FC relating to the player.”
This would mean Lampard was signed by City Football Group (CFG) last July, the company is owned by Sheikh Mansour, owner of Manchester City. The group also owns Melbourne City and New York City. The contract states that he would be playing for New York in 2015 and 2016.
Lampard is a registered Manchester City player
The confusion was created because New York had declared on their website, that Lampard has signed a designated contract that would begin on August 1. Their website stated, “New York City FC signs Frank Lampard to a Designated Player contract … a two-year contract which starts August 1st.”
However, the statement was removed from their website and Lampard joined City on loan, just a month later. He also referred to the New York move as a ‘loan’ in several media interviews.
Now it’s clear that Lampard is a City player, but the bigger question is whether he will stay at the Etihad or move to the USA, at the end of the season.
