Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will be keen to find out whether or not Manchester City were victorious in their dispute with the Premier League. In February 2023, the competition charged its champions with 115 alleged breaches of financial regulations.
These include accusations that the club failed to provide accurate financial information and failed to cooperate with investigations spanning nine seasons (2009/10 to 2017/18). Manchester City denied any wrongdoing, so they looked to prove their innocence in front of an independent panel.
It's said that the case – that was being heard in private at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London – has now concluded, with a final verdict expected in the coming months. So, with that being said, football.london has rounded up everything you need to know about the hearing.
Guardiola bombshell
Pep Guardiola has admitted that he could benefit from a break despite recently penning a new contract at the Etihad Stadium. In an interview with Marbella-born chef Dani Garcia on his Desmontadito YouTube channel, the Manchester City boss said: "I want to leave it and go and play golf but I can’t."
"A time will come when I feel it’s enough and I’ll definitely stop then," Guardiola added. "I’m not going to manage another team. I’m not talking about the long-term future but what I’m not going to do is leave Manchester City and go to another country to do the same thing as I am now.
"I wouldn’t have the energy to do so. I’m still here doing what I am today. But the thought of starting off somewhere else, with all the process of the training and so on... no, no, no! Maybe a national team but that’s different.
"I should stop, like these chefs that go to other countries, stop and see what we’ve done well and what we could do better and when you’re busy all day, day after day, you don’t have time to do that. I think stopping would do me good."
Huge Premier League fallout forecasted
Speaking to Football Insider in November, former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson said: "If the important charges are proven, it’s likely there will be cases for the clubs – potentially even beyond the four mentioned in the media.
"I don’t think any compensation will be payable if City were only found guilty of not co-operating with the Premier League – that would be a different situation. That wouldn’t be something which leads to claims, because that wouldn’t lead to a sporting advantage. It’ll be focused on whether City are found guilty of the serious charges.
"There’ll then be a process where numerous clubs try and make a case. Each of them will have their own version of what losses occurred over that period and will have to prove causation. I think it’s quite likely that there will be claims, and it will take a long time to resolve.
"Until we see a decision, it’s hard to see how that will work. Theoretically, there is also potential for claims to come outside the Premier League. I wouldn’t rule anything out, but it’s all predicated on the substantial charges being proven against City. It won’t be straightforward for the Premier League to do."
Ex-Leicester City lawyer chimes in
Nick De Marco KC, who also helped Leicester City win their recent legal battle against the Premier League, believes Manchester City should not be relegated by off-field adjudicators and claims point deductions ought to be a last resort.
"In my view things as important as promotion and relegation should be determined on the pitch," the 57-year-old told The Times in September. "It spoils the game for it to be determined by people like me; lawyers and accountants and ex-lawyers who are arbitrators, hearing legal arguments behind closed doors.
"I’m going to make my money out of it because that’s my business but I don’t necessarily think it’s right," he added. "As a football fan I really do think points deductions should be the very last thing people look at for breaches..."
'There are probably four outcomes'
Speaking to The Athletic in September, an unnamed lawyer outlined the probability of relegation being handed out. They said: "Expulsion from the Premier League wouldn’t be just hyperbole - it would be a realistic outcome if they were found guilty of the charges.
"If, on the other hand, some of the charges like those involving Mancini aren’t as clear-cut as people think and we’re talking about multiple PSR breaches, you might be looking at a 30-point deduction.
"There are probably four outcomes; they’re acquitted, there’s a huge fine and small points deduction, there’s a huge points deduction or they’re kicked out of the league.
"But we just don’t know without seeing the in-depth evidence. And just because someone has been charged 115 times, it doesn’t mean they’re guilty."
What does the rule book say?
The Premier League handbook states that an independent commission does have the power to 'recommend that the League expels the Respondent (the club or person in question) from membership in accordance with the provisions of Rule B.6'.
“...The League may expel a Club from membership upon a special Resolution to that effect being passed by a majority of not less than three-quarters of such members as (being entitled to do so) vote by their representatives or by proxy at a General Meeting of which notice specifying the intention to propose the Resolution has been duly given.”
Long story short, it would be the league itself that would have to vote on and implement the act of relegation with at least a 75% majority, given the commission can only ‘recommend’ it. In Section 51.4 of the handbook, however, the commission holds the right to directly suspend clubs from match participation and directly hand out points deductions, as seen with Everton and Nottingham Forest.
Finanace expert and lawyer agree on verdict
Speaking on the 'We’re Not Really Here' podcast by BBC Radio Manchester in June, football finance expert Kieran Maguire and Borson were asked whether there's a chance that the two parties agree on a settlement before the hearing.
"It would certainly save a lot of money on behalf of both sides," said Maguire. "It could mean that both parties could claim a victory, but I think in terms of public opinion and the reaction there's likely to be from both the media, and I suspect from other clubs, it's not really something that would be palatable to the Premier League nor City."
Borson added: "There are ways in which it could occur within the Premier League rules. But I think they missed their window for a settlement. Now that it's public and now that we're so close to the hearing, it would be very unlikely for them to find common ground politically to get this settled."
Solicitor rules out relegation
Speaking to the Evening Standard in September, Dan Chapman, head of employment and sports at Leathes Prior, claimed no punishment should be ruled out – from fines to expulsion from the Premier League. The solicitor said: "Considerable uncertainty remains on the current status of the Premier League proceedings against Manchester City.
"It would appear that these charges are far more serious, if they are proven, than the charges which Everton and Nottingham Forest recently admitted. Those clubs were charged with a breach of spending rules that they admitted.
"This case is entirely different, 115 charges which relate, it would appear, to serious impropriety which Manchester City robustly deny. The number and complexity of the charges will present huge challenges to all involved and it is not unlikely that the hearing could be delayed in full or in part.
"The independent commission that will hear the case will have almost limitless powers, and sanctions could range from fines to points deductions to expulsion from the Premier League. Manchester City will of course be aiming to be cleared of all charges, and nothing should be ruled out in this quite extraordinary case."
Guardiola stance
In August, Guardiola expressed his delight after learning that a hearing start date was agreed. Speaking to reporters ahead of the reigning champions' clash against Ipswich Town, he said: "I am happy it starts soon and hopefully it finishes soon for the benefit of all of us.
"Especially for the club but for all the other Premier League clubs, like for all the people that don't wait for the sentence. I wish from deep in my heart to go to the trial, the independent panel - and I say it again, independent panel - and as soon as possible release what happened, and we will accept like always we have done."
Then, when asked if he was worried whether the situation could distract his players, Guardiola replied: "No, we have been three or four years talking about that."
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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