The Premier League are increasingly concerned about the growing cost of legal fees as they look for a verdict to be delivered in the Man City FFP case, according to reports.
The Citizens had a poor campaign under Pep Guardiola last season after winning the Premier League title in each of their previous four campaigns.
Guardiola’s side, who are currently fifth in the Premier League after seven matches, have had the shadow of their FFP case hanging over them with a verdict expected months ago.
An independent commission hearing to examine 115 charges laid by the Premier League against Man City started in September and ended in December.
The Premier League opened an investigation into Man City way back in 2018 and after a number of legal delays, charges were finally laid in February 2023 and the club were referred to an independent commission.
The charges against the Citizens relate to the requirement to accurately report financial information, including around the value of sponsorship deals, the submission of details of manager and player pay information and to a club’s responsibility as a Premier League member to adhere to UEFA’s financial regulations and to the league’s own profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
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They are also accused of failing to co-operate with the league’s investigation. In all, there are charges relating to every season between 2009-10 and 2022-23.
Man City boss Guardiola said in February that he expected “a verdict and a sentence” in one month (March) but that didn’t come as the date continues to be a secret.
Guardiola said: “In one month I think there will be a verdict and a sentence and after we will see my opinion of what happened so far. Still, at the end, every club can do whatever they want.
“Because in the last 10 years we are third [for net spend], but in the last five even with what we won we are behind the top six teams so I’m sorry for the comments and that is why I don’t agree.
“In the last five years, we are the last team in the top six. Even after what we have spent in this transfer window, we are away from Chelsea, United, Arsenal, Tottenham.
“Even from Liverpool. The only reason why is we sell a lot in the last seasons but even with that I know this club, it is always ‘just about the money.'”
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But Football Insider has revealed that the Premier League are ‘concerned about rising legal fees as they push for the verdict to be delivered’ and that Man City could now hear ‘within days’.
And former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson is convinced that a verdict will come either in this international break “or the next”.
Borson told Football Insider: “Everybody expects the most likely window is now, and particularly if it could be within an international break, I think that’s really a combination of the sort of practicality of it coming in the international break, either this one or the next one.
“But moreover, just the fact that the panel has had 10 months to write up its decision. While it could easily be more in sort of the court system, this is not an arbitration, it’s a disciplinary, but it’s a privately paid for panel, you would think that they should be able to do that in this timescale.”
Speaking earlier in the week, Borson again hinted that Man City could learn a verdict very soon, he said: “I think 10 months is enough now, and whatever the decision, there’s little justification for it stretching on further.
“I think that’s why people are expecting it, just simply because of the passage of time as opposed to it meaning anything about which way it’s gone.
“I’ve always said I think the longer it goes the worse it is for City as a concept. But it’s quite hard to know whether this is late or whether it’s about right because we don’t know any of the details.”
Borson added: “I think it could drop any time to the parties.
“It wouldn’t be a big shock to me if it came in an email for release this week. Of course, it might not, but it would not be a surprise.
“Obviously, then we’ll see how long it takes for that then to be disseminated out to the outside world.”