City were made aware of the charges being brought against them in February 2023, with an investigation being carried out into dealings at the Etihad Stadium between 2009 and 2018, An independent commission heard the case in September 2024, with that process running through to December. The panel is considering what happens next, with the footballing world being left on tenterhooks.
Stefan Borson, a former financial adviser to City, has told Football Insider of the protracted saga - which appears to have no end in sight: “It looks to me as if they really have very little control of the process from the panel. They didn’t put in place the sorts of deadlines that maybe they should have done.
“That’s left them very much in the dark as to when the decision is coming, and in that scenario, you have just got to carry on the business because what can you do? You can’t just sit around pausing everything. You have to make decisions, make progress and go about your business, so that’s what they’re doing.”