Manchester City may not hear a verdict in their 115 charges case until the summer, it has been reported.
The Premier League charged City with 115 alleged breaches of financial rules – with a minority of those related to UEFA – back in February 2023.
City denied any wrongdoing and claim that their defence is supported by an ‘irrefutable body of evidence‘.
After a private hearing on the matter took place between September and December last year, it was initially expected that a verdict would be reached by the end of March.
But The Telegraph now report that a final decision may not be announced before this summer.
So what we do know about the case so far?
Manchester City’s 115 charges in full
Here is a full breakdown of the charges laid against City by the Premier League.
- Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 – 54 alleged breaches
- Failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 – present [February 2023] – 35 alleged breaches
- Failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 – 14 alleged breaches
- Breaches of Premier League profitability and sustainability regulations from 2015/16 to and including 2017/18 – Seven alleged breaches
- Failure to comply with UEFA’s regulations, including UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations – Five alleged breaches
The exact number of charges totals 130 due to a reporting error upon the initial announcement of the Premier League’s case – though the league has declined to comment on this.
Manchester City vs Premier League private hearing
As you might expect, we’ve heard very little about the behind-closed-doors private hearing, which took place over the course of three months.
Closing arguments were completed on December 6, amid claims from former City advisor Stefan Borson that the case could be ‘paused‘ due to City’s other legal hearing against the Premier League over Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules.
The hearing took place at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre, with Lord Pannick KC leading City’s legal team.
Lord Pannick arriving at London’s IDRC last year (Image: Twitter)
Pannick, who is a member of the House of Lords as an independent peer, previously represented former Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
What happens when the verdict is announced?
The short answer is – not very much, to begin with.
Once a verdict is reached, both parties – either City or the Premier League – can launch an appeal, with a counter-appeal on that subsequent verdict even possible.
The Telegraph report that a number of factors, including the sheer number of charges, ‘complexities involved’, and ‘the amount of evidence heard and challenged’, legal experts are said to not be surprised by the amount of time the case has taken.
What have Manchester City said publicly?
Barring club statements, the only official comment made by City upon the announcement of the hearing was from chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the end of the 2023/24 season.
He told the club’s official website in his yearly end-of-season review in June 2024: “Of course it’s frustrating, the references to [the charges] are always frustrating… having it being talked about the way it’s been talked about.
“I can feel, of course, for our fanbase, for everyone associated with the club, to have these charges constantly referenced.
“I think we, as a club, have to respect that there is a process that we have to go through, and we’re going through it.
“It’s taking longer than anyone hoped for, but it is what it is.
“I’ve always reported that in every interview I’ve done – let’s be judged by the facts and not by claims or counter-claims.”
What are Manchester City’s potential punishments if found guilty?
Should City be found guilty of any of the alleged breaches, their punishment will be based upon the exact breaches.
Fines or points deductions are reportedly seen as the most likely punishments.
The Times claimed last year that a previous case involving Swindon Town could be used as a ‘legal precedent’ if required – though the cases have significant dissimilarities.
In the 1989/90 season, the Robins were hit with 35 charges relating to illegal payments. The case was postponed until after that season’s Second Division play-offs – during which Swindon earned promotion to the First Division.
The club would admit 36 charges and were relegated two divisions to the Third Division, reduced to one relegation upon appeal.
But football finance expert Kieran Maguire has claimed that the Premier League cannot administratively relegate City from the Premier League if found guilty as they do not control the EFL.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News in March, he explained: “The Premier League doesn’t control the EFL, so therefore the commission would have to set a tariff – a punishment that will be so severe in terms of points deductions that it would effectively guarantee relegation.
“But they can’t do what we saw with Rangers and the SPFL and relegate them to League Two or similar.”
