City have been charged for 129 alleged breaches of Premier League financial control rules between 2009 and 2018 in a case that has dragged on for years
Lawyers have been making closing arguments in the Manchester City hearing, which is currently scheduled to conclude this week, with an outcome anticipated in February.
Although there is the possibility for remaining delays, the case has gone to schedule so far, and is seen within the Premier League as having been run in a highly disciplined manner.
There has been a considerable will in the competition to have it finally settled this season, but the likelihood of appeals from either side could mean it runs into the 2025-26 campaign.
The hearing has gone exactly according to schedule so far, having started on 17 September. Very little information has come out due to the stakes and considerable discretion of all involved but one notable aspect has been the sheer number of lawyers involved.
The hearing comes from the February 2023 announcement that City had been charged for 129 alleged breaches of financial control rules, after emails were revealed in Der Spiegel's Football Leaks cache in November 2018.
The Premier League said the alleged breaches took place over a nine-season period, from 2009 to 2018, and relate to providing accurate financial information. City are also charged with failing to comply with the Premier League’s rules on profit and sustainability (PSR) and Uefa’s financial fair play regulations, and are alleged to have not cooperated with the Premier League over its investigation. The club won the Premier League three times between 2009 and 2018.
The club robustly insist upon their innocence and announced their “surprise” when they were referred to the independent commission last February
Even if the most serious charges are not proven, however, there is an expectation that City will have to be punished on non-compliance given that Premier League regulations demand that clubs participate in investigations. This was what they were primarily punished for in the controversial Court of Arbitration case of June 2020, that saw an initial Uefa Champions League ban overturned due to technicalities.
While a minority within the Premier League are pushing for expulsion if the most serious charges are proven, that is currently seen as an unlikely possibility. Such an outcome would require a special shareholders meeting and vote of 15.
That is not expected to be a situation witnessed this season, however, due to the near certainty that one of the sides will appeal the outcome.