Manchester City are expecting a verdict from the independent commission in the coming days following their legal battle with the Premier League
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Updated 17:33, 17 Mar 2025
Manchester City are expected to find out the verdict of their ongoing legal battle with the Premier League imminently.
Manchester City's long wait for a decision regarding their ongoing legal battle with the Premier League is coming to a conclusion.
The Premier League charged the reigning champions after allegedly breaching more than 115 top flight rules relating to Financial Fair Play over a nine year period. They have also been charged with failure to cooperate with the Premier League regarding their investigation.
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City have maintained their innocence throughout and claimed to have irrefutable evidence to back their argument with the two parties arguing their case in front of an independent commission last year.
The hearing took place from September to December last year before an independent panel, in which City vehemently denied all allegations. If found guilty, they could face severe punishment with a number of board members forced to resign amid possible points deductions.
That's according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke to the Manchester Evening News this afternoon.
"It will be intriguing because when we have seen commission reports historically, in the case of Nottingham Forest and Everton, both parties were given a copy of the verdict to allow them to effectively collect their thoughts and put out press releases to coincide with that of the Premier League," Maguire said when asked about when we might hear about potential punishments if the club were found guilty.
"There has been sort of a - we're on opposite sides of the argument but we're still going to act professionally. I think there's been such a fallout from Manchester City and the Premier League that might not necessarily be the case.
"Having said that, the commission cannot said to be seen to be viewing one party above the other. So, one would presume they would have to release the conclusion of the report simultaneously.
"What I've heard from a few parties already, and I've spoken to a few people today, is that it could be, that there will be conclusion as to whether Manchester City are guilty or not guilty of individual charges. But the punishment might not be included in this initial report.
"I think that, in my personal view, is that it creates more problems than solutions. It will just lead to a social media meltdown. It will create expectations.
"If Manchester City are only found guilty of non-cooperation with the Premier League investigation and I think we can expect something in line with what we saw from UEFA. In that it will be a fiscal penalty.
"If Manchester City are found guilty of misrepresentation, which is effectively corporate fraud, then I think we have to be looking at a significant points deduction. On the basis that, again, if you read the commission reports for Nottingham Forest and Everton, they stressed that they were minor breaches of the rules.
"What Manchester City is being accused of, is effectively fraud over a longer period of time. So therefore, the punishment has to be scaled appropriately."
Both Nottingham Forest and Everton were given points deductions after breaching the Premier League's financial fair play rules in recent seasons, but City's alleged charges are far more serious.
"I don't think they can relegate the club as such, because this is a Premier League punishment," Maguire said. "The Premier League doesn't control the EFL, so therefore the commission would have to set a tariff - a punishment that will be so severe in terms of points deductions that it would effectively guarantee relegation.
"But they can't do what we saw with Rangers and the SPFL and relegate them to League Two or similar."
ATATURK OLYMPIC STADIUM, ISTANBUL, TURKEY - 2023/06/11: Ferran Soriano (L), Pep Guardiola and Khaldoon Al Mubarak (R) pose for a photo with the trophy during the award ceremony following the UEFA Champions League final football match between Manchester City FC and FC Internazionale. Manchester City FC won 1-0 over FC Internazionale. (Photo by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Man City's hierarchy face an anxious wait over Premier League charges
Maguire believes that City's board will have no choice but to stand down from their position if found guilty by the independent panel
"It brings the governance of Manchester City into disrepute, if found guilty, I don't see how the board of directors can survive because again, looking for precedent, if you look to see what has happened in Serie A and Juventus," he added.
"When Juventus were found guilty of effectively misrepresentation a couple of years ago - this was when they said players had taken big pay cuts during covid and that wasn't the case, the board of directors had to resign.
"If people from Manchester City have made statements, sworn statements to the commission and it's been concluded that those are misrepresentations, then the board of Man City has to be replaced."
However, if City were found not guilty, it would leave the Premier League in a sticky spot.
"Similarly if Man City win this case, where does that leave the board of the Premier League?" Maguire questioned. "The costs of the case are in excess of £50million to the Premier League, so therefore it must be similar for Manchester City.
"Those costs have to be born by the individual clubs. Now I know some clubs in the Premier League who don't give a toss about this.
"They say 'we're not competing with Manchester City as far as we're concerned, all of this pressure is coming from a small number of elite clubs who are competing for Champions League places. We're in a different position, they're going to be very angry.'
"It would put pressure on senior personnel at the head of the Premier League in terms of their ability to continue in their posts."
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If City were found not guilty, they could follow the Premier League's suit and try to claim back some of the costs back from their legal battle.
"We did see the Premier League try to claim some costs back from Everton when it charged them last year," Maguire revealed. "Everton said 'ok we'll go along with that' but when they took a look at the size of the bill from the Premier League - it was charging ridiculous amounts of money so it got that scaled back.
"If City are successful expect them to go for the jugular."