Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, during the loss at Anfield
The panel will now consider the evidence in the case
The Premier League's case against Manchester City's alleged 115 financial breaches has concluded, leaving the panel to consider their verdict.
The final arguments were heard at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre on Friday, bringing to an end the hearing, which started on September 16. Defending Premier League champions City are accused of multiple breaches of Financial Fair Play rules and of failing to co-operate with the subsequent investigation.
They deny all the charges and have been confident they will be exonerated. But if they are found guilty by the three-person panel, they could be hit with financial penalties, a points deduction or even be relegated.
The Daily Mail reports that the panel have now retired to consider the mountains of evidence that has been put before them. They will deliberate for a long time and even once a verdict has been returned, an appeal is very likely to extend the case until the end of next season.
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It is expected that the initial verdict could take months to come, given the sheer number of alleged breaches and the evidence put forward by the lawyers for the Premier League and City, who are accused of financial wrongdoing over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018.
City manager Pep Guardiola has welcomed the case and hopes that it will eventually clear the cloud hanging over their achievements in recent years. Asked in September if the team had discussed the charges, he replied: “No. We’re not lawyers. Erling [Haaland] is not a lawyer, no. We didn’t talk about that. What’s going to happen, the independent panel, and we’re going to accept the sentence.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola holds the winner's trophy aloft after the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City at American Express Community Stadium on May 12, 2019
Manchester City have made a habit out of lifting the Premier League trophy
“I’m happy it’s starting on Monday. I know there will be more rumours, new specialists about the sentences. We’re going to see. I know what people are looking forward to, what they expect, I know, what I read for many years. Everybody is innocent until guilt is proven. So we’ll see.”
City have already suffered one blow in their opposition to the Premier League after changes to the associated party transaction rules were approved by a margin of 16-4 at a vote last month.
Since Sheikh Mansour's seismic takeover in 2008, City have won eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, six League Cups, the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. All of those achievements currently hang under a cloud of suspicion, one that will only go away if they are successful in clearing their name before the independent commission.
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