Man City could hear the verdict on the Premier League’s financial fair play hearing against them “around Easter”, according to the latest reports.
An independent commission hearing to examine 115 charges laid by the Premier League against Man City started in September 2024 and ended in December.
The Premier League opened an investigation into Man City way back in 2018 and after a number of legal delays, charges were finally laid in February 2023 and the club were referred to an independent commission.
The charges against the Citizens relate to the requirement to accurately report financial information, including around the value of sponsorship deals, the submission of details of manager and player pay information and to a club’s responsibility as a Premier League member to adhere to UEFA’s financial regulations and to the league’s own profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
They are also accused of failing to co-operate with the league’s investigation. In all, there are charges relating to every season between 2009-10 and 2022-23.
Man City issued a statement strenuously denying the allegations on the day the charges were brought, saying they they welcomed the opportunity for an independent commission “to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of our position.”
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire recently revealed that Man City are likely to be relegated if they are found guilty of the more serious charges alleged at them.
Maguire said on the Football on Trial: The Manchester City Charges podcast: “A points deduction would be the most likely outcome should the club be found guilty.
“As for the quantum of points deduction, if Everton were initially given a 10 points deduction for going around about £10/12 million over the limits in one particular season, I think, in order to set an example to the rest of football, it’s got to act as a deterrent.
“We’ll probably be looking at somewhere in the region of 60 to 100 points, which would effectively guarantee relegation out of the Premier League and into the lower tiers of football in the EFL.”
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And now former Everton CEO Keith Wyness insists that he is expecting news of a verdict to come “around Easter” but that it could take longer to hear the potential punishments if found guilty.
Wyness told Football Insider: “It’s a complex case with so many charges and so much evidence.
“I’m expecting some sort of decision on where the liability is around Easter.
“After that, it could be the end of the season before we see any potential sanctions – depending where that liability lies, on Man City or not.
“It’s a fascinating case. What has been interesting is that there have been very few leaks on this.
“Normally there is some sort of leak or idea, but it’s been very well-guarded so far. I wish my sources could tell me more, but at the moment I’m afraid there are no real leads.”
And Football Insider insist that there could be a ‘second hearing’ after the verdicts and Stefan Borson claims that Man City’s case “will have an elongated process if City are found to be liable for any of the breaches.”
Borson, who is a former Man City financial adviser, told Football Insider: “The submissions over sanctions point was detailed in a previous article in The Lawyer, which is an industry publication for the legal profession in the UK.
“They have had very good information so far about the case in terms of the details of who’s acting for who and the actual fact that it had started was an exclusive from them.
“The piece in the FT seems to confirm it, and I doubt that it was just a case of them reading The Lawyer piece.
“I suspect that they were briefed out by the Premier League as part of the overall process of that interview, so I think we can probably take it now as confirmed that that’s the way the process will work.
“What that means is that you will have an elongated process if City are found to be liable for any of the breaches because what is then going to happen is you will have a pause where the parties digest the liability decision, which is going to be very long and detailed and they will then both want to make their representations and formal submissions in a hearing in front of the panel in respect to the sanction.
“Now clearly, if that’s only about cooperation, I would think that that sanction hearing would be quite short, maybe even in writing as opposed to in person. But if it is for the more serious breaches, then you can expect the sanction hearing to be very lengthy.
“It could easily be a couple of weeks for that hearing, such is the seriousness of the matter and the submissions of the parties, both in terms of aggravating factors and mitigation if there is any mitigation.
“We will just have to wait and see, but it will likely drag the process out.”
