Sky Sports have offered a ‘big clue’ that Manchester City look set to be found not guilty in their FFP trial with the Premier League as the ‘certain’ involvement of the British government also suggests ‘a fudge’.
An independent hearing into the Citizens’ alleged breaches of financial fair play finished in mid-December, and with a verdict expected imminently a number of sanctions have been touted, including points penalties, transfer embargoes, stripping titles and even complete expulsion from the Premier League.
City have claimed two legal wins over the Premier League, with Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules deemed ‘null and void’ in the most recent ‘significant’ victory for the club.
But they will be sweating the reportedly imminent outcome of the FFP hearing despite insisting on their innocence throughout proceedings.
Both Everton and Nottingham Forest were docked points in 2023/2024 for breaking Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules, and City look set to be hit considerably harder if they’re found guilty as they face well over 100 charges.
Reports have claimed we could hear the outcome any day now and former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys claims there are “a number of reasons” why he thinks City will be found not guilty.
Keys wrote on his infamous blog: ‘I’m hearing we’re not far off from learning the outcome to the 130 charges City have faced. The smart money has got to be on a fudge. Why do I say that? Well – a number of reasons really.
‘A big clue is Sky telling their pundits to go easy with their thoughts about the judgement. If City were going to get nailed I’m sure they’d be allowed to say what they like but I reckon their anger is going to have to be tempered.
‘Just as the British govt got deeply involved in the decision to allow the Saudi’s to take over at Newcastle, it’s a certainty they’ll have had something to do with the outcome in this case.
‘Boris Johnson didn’t want to piss MBS [Mohammed bin Salman] off – and Starmer can’t afford to fall out with the Emeratis. I might be wrong, but I don’t think so.’
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Keys was referring to a report earlier this month which claimed Sky Sports sent an email to their pundits urging them to not to ‘make snap judgements’ and to ‘stick to the facts’ when reporting on the outcome.
The broadcaster warned staff against jumping to conclusions on air and on social media when the time comes ‘within the next month or so’.
The report stated:
‘Officials at Sky have also shared a factfile on the long-running case which has seen the competition effectively at war with its champions.
‘They have warned that both sides may claim victory regardless of the outcome and have reminded the likes of Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane that any verdict and potential punishment could be subject to an appeal.
‘The email asks recipients to allow themselves ‘sufficient time to digest the outcome’ and to direct viewers to Sky Sports News for further information and reaction.
‘Mail Sport understands that the move is aimed at ensuring that the broadcaster is accurate, fair and balanced in its reporting and avoids any controversy in what is an incredibly sensitive matter.’
