Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, during the loss at Anfield
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (Image: 2024 Liverpool FC)
The Premier League's case against Manchester City for alleged financial breaches has wrapped up, with the panel now left to deliberate their verdict. The final arguments were presented at London's International Dispute Resolution Centre on Friday, marking the end of the hearing that began on September 16.
Defending Premier League champions City stand accused of multiple violations of Financial Fair Play rules and failing to cooperate with the ensuing investigation. They deny all charges and remain confident of being cleared.
However, if found guilty by the three-person panel, they could face financial penalties, a points deduction or even relegation. The Daily Mail reports that the panel have now retired to review the substantial evidence presented.
Deliberations are expected to take considerable time and even once a verdict is returned, an appeal is likely to prolong the case until the end of next season. Given the sheer volume of alleged breaches and the evidence put forward by the lawyers for both the Premier League and City, who are accused of financial misconduct over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018, the initial verdict could take months to arrive.
City boss Pep Guardiola expressed optimism about the case, suggesting it could dispel the doubts overshadowing their recent accomplishments. When questioned last September about the squad discussing the allegations, he responded, "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," reports the Mirror.
"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."
The club has already faced a setback in their battle against Premier League authorities when proposed amendments to the associated party transaction rules passed with a 16-4 vote.
Since Sheikh Mansour's transformational acquisition of City in 2008, the club has claimed an impressive haul of trophies, including eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, six League Cups, and international silverware such as the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. Yet all these accolades now sit under a cloud of scepticism – a shadow that will only be removed should City exonerate themselves before the independent commission.