Manchester City could reportedly ‘learn their fate as soon as possible’ after it was revealed that their Financial Fair Play hearing has concluded.
At the start of 2023, Man City were charged with breaching over 100 of the Premier League’s FFP rules and referred to an independent commission. This followed a four-year probe into their conduct between 2009 and 2018.
Pep Guardiola’s side have insisted on their innocence, though it remains to be seen whether they will be punished as this case has been dragging on for around two years.
Man City have clearly felt persecuted by the Premier League and launched a separate legal battle earlier this year, campaigning for the removal of Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules.
While Man City managed to prove that certain aspects of these rules were unlawful, the regulations remain in place after Premier League clubs recently voted in favour of amendments.
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Man City’s FFP hearing went on for a couple of months but it’s been reported that it concluded at the end of last week. A report from The Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan revealed.
‘The hearing into the Premier League’s 115 charges against Manchester City has concluded.
‘Mail Sport can reveal that closing arguments in a case with huge ramifications for English football were completed on Friday – with a three-man panel now considering evidence before delivering a verdict in the coming months.’
A new report from The Times claims Man City ‘may learn their fate in January’, though it is noted that an ‘appeal may drag on into next season’.
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The report confirms Man City are facing ‘130 charges’ and the ‘three-man panel will be working flat out’ to reach a verdict ‘as soon as possible’.
‘The original 115 alleged breaches now total 130 because when the Premier League announced the charges in February 2023 there was confusion over some of the rules listed in relation to particular seasons and it had to issue a correction.
‘One senior legal source told The Times that the three-man panel would be acutely aware of the attention focused on the outcome of the case and would be working flat out to get their judgment out as soon as possible. That could be the end of January, according to the source, but the number of alleged rule breaches and the complexity of the case could mean that it is delayed.’
The report has also indicated how long the appeal process would take and what would happen if relegation is deemed a suitable punishment.
‘City, who deny any wrongdoing, could be hit with a heavy points deduction or even relegation if the more serious charges are proved. In that case, the club are almost certain to lodge an appeal, which the legal source said could take six to eight months to be completed.
‘If a sanction such as relegation is imposed, the panel could allow the punishment to be put on hold until the outcome of an appeal. That was not the case with Everton’s initial ten-point deduction last season for a breach of the Profitability and Sustainability Rules — the sanction stood until it was reduced on appeal to six points.’