A general view from inside the stadium before the Premier League match at Etihad Stadium.
A new timeline for the outcome of Man City's Premier League charges has been outlined
Manchester City could get a decision over their charges for multiple alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules before the end of next month, according to the latest reports.
After almost three months, City’s hearing on the charges came to a conclusion on Friday with both parties making their closing arguments. It comes 20 months after the Premier League first announced the charges back in February 2023.
While it’s widely reported that the club have faced 115 charges, it is now believed that there is a total of 130, due to confusion around some of the rules in relation to particular seasons. City strongly deny any wrongdoing and have vowed to defend themselves.
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The ending of the hearing means that the three-man independent panel will now be looking at the evidence and determining an outcome of the case. The Times reports that the panel will be working ‘flat out’ and that a verdict could be made as early as the end of January; that, however, could be delayed due to the complex nature of the case.
While a verdict should come before the end of the current Premier League season, it is said that any appeal could take a further six to eight months to be completed. A final outcome could therefore go into the new 2025/26 season.
If City are found guilty of breaches, then they could be hit with a heavy points deduction or even relegation from the Premier League. There is a possibility that any punishment could be allowed to be put on hold until the outcome of an appeal, if City choose to do so.
That, however, wasn’t the case for both Everton and Nottingham Forest last season. Both were hit with immediate points deductions upon being found guilty. The Toffees saw their punishment reduced from 10 to six points on appeal.
The full investigation into City from the Premier League is said to have been going on for five years. It now seems that there is a bit longer to wait before a final outcome is reached.