LOS ANGELES -- The Angel City Football Club has been hit with the latest round of sanctions, including a fine of $200,000, the NWSL announced Thursday.
The penalties also include a three-point deduction off current league standings, the suspension of two key club leaders and future annual audits regarding league spending by the league. The rulings came following an NWSL investigation into the club's spending on players' salaries.
The NWSL has concluded an investigation into a salary cap violation by Angel City Football Club and has taken disciplinary action based on the findings.https://t.co/QboteuCQRS
— NWSL Communications (@NWSL_PR) October 3, 2024
As part of the disciplinary actions, general manager Angela Hucles Mangano and CEO and team president Julie Uhrman have been suspended from "conducting duties related to any player transactions" for the remainder of the year.
Violations sweeping
The ruling involves the steepest sanctions for sporting infractions in league history and stems from ACFC partaking in side deals with players. According to the league, Angel City engaged in "five side letters directly with players that effected multiyear agreements and were not disclosed to the league" in deals finalized in 2023.
The deals compensated players outside of what was reported to the league in their contracts.
The investigation found that Angel City “exceeded the salary cap by approximately $50,000 for four weeks during the 2024 season.” Currently, the base salary cap for the 2024 season is $2.75 million for each team, and league policies state that all players must sign a standard contract (SPA) directly through the NWSL.
In the press release, the league said it will be "conducting annual investigations and audits of player spending across clubs to ensure compliance with league rules." Also, the NWSL said it "remains committed to maintaining fairness and transparency across all clubs, reinforcing the importance of adhering to established rules and upholding the competitive balance within the league."
This is the second time the club has been fined regarding player contracts. In 2021, Angel City was fined $40,000 for tampering during an attempt to sign midfielder Allie Long from another team, before having played a single match as an expansion team the following season.
Playoffs implications
As a result of the three-point deduction Angel City moved from 11th place with 22 points, six points behind Bay FC and the 8th place and final playoff spot. They fell to 19 points and sit in 12th place.
ACFC must win at least three matches — or at the minimum not lose any more matches — to have a shot at the eighth playoff spot.
Angel City has not responded to the sanctions. They have four regular-season matches remaining, including Friday's visit to the Seattle Reign.
