Premier League chairman to avoid giving Man City trophy if they win it

Premier League chairman Richard Masters will skip Manchester City's game against West Ham, in which the Sky Blues can be crowned league champions, and will be at Arsenal's match against Everton to avoid Guardiola's men, who are accused by the governing body of financial irregularities.

Both Arsenal and Manchester City are in with a chance of winning the title on Sunday but the advantage goes to Manchester City, who will be reliant on themselves to win the championship if they match the Gunners' result.

Masters, faced with the prospect of handing the title to City, has decided to attend the Arsenal game and avoid having to give the trophy to a club under suspicion after they were accused of 115 financial irregularities between 2009 and 2018 in February 2023.

The timings of the City trial are not public but there is speculation that this autumn - in October or November, the hearing will begin and the outcome of the trial will be known in the summer of 2025.

The Premier League will have two identical trophies, one at the Emirates Stadium and the other at the Etihad Stadium, ready to crown this season's champions, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal or Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

The English tournament reaches its final matchday with two teams in with a chance of winning the title, forcing the organisers of the competition to have a trophy at each of the two stadiums.

Arsenal take on Everton, needing to win and hope for a slip-up from Manchester City, who will need to match the Gunners' result to become the first team in English football history to win four consecutive league titles.

For these occasions, the Premier League has two identical trophies, one that the reigning champions keep for the season, and another that they keep at their London headquarters.