Angel City FC received a series of sanctions on Thursday after an investigation into the NWSL salary cap found the club violated the rules of several leagues. the league announced.
Notably, the NWSL said that Angel City exceeded the salary cap by $50,000 for four weeks during the 2024 season. It also said that Angel City entered into five side letters (i.e. secret agreements) with players that were essentially undisclosed multi-year deals. to the league. Those excessive unreported profits pushed the team over the limit.
For those violations, the league said Angel City will receive the following sanctions:
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A fine of $200,000
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A three-point deduction in the 2024 standings, effective immediately
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Suspensions for President and CEO Julie Uhrman and CEO Angela Hucles Mangano for the remainder of calendar year 2024, effective immediately
The NWSL also said it would conduct annual investigations and audits at clubs to prevent further violations.
From the NWSL:
“The NWSL remains committed to maintaining fairness and transparency across all clubs, reinforcing the importance of adhering to established rules and upholding competitive balance within the league.”
The three-point deduction amounts to an effective elimination from the playoffs for Angel City. The club was previously ranked 11th in the NWSL table with a record of 6-4-12, but fell to 12th place and just one point ahead of 13th place with points deduction.
To make the NWSL playoffs, Angel City would need to win its remaining four games and have several teams falter to finish the regular season.
The sanctions add obstacles to what was already a year of transition for the league’s most valuable team. Angel City announced in July that a majority stake would be sold to Disney CEO Bob Iger at a valuation of $250 million.
Kari Anderson contributed to this report.