Tim Sherwood is understood to have sparked Sky Sports warning email after Man City “picked up the phone”, according to one expert.
An independent commission hearing to examine 115 charges laid by the Premier League against Man City started in September and ended in December 2024.
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).
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.
It is believed that the outcome will be revealed soon and a report last week claimed that Sky Sports ‘have urged their pundits not to ‘make snap judgements’ and to ‘stick to the facts’ before commenting on the forthcoming verdict’.
The report added:
‘They have warned that both sides may claim victory regardless of the outcome and have reminded the likes of Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane that any verdict and potential punishment could be subject to an appeal.
‘The email asks recipients to allow themselves ‘sufficient time to digest the outcome’ and to direct viewers to Sky Sports News for further information and reaction.
‘Mail Sport understands that the move is aimed at ensuring that the broadcaster is accurate, fair and balanced in its reporting and avoids any controversy in what is an incredibly sensitive matter.’
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And now former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson reckons it was all triggered by comments by former Tottenham boss Sherwood recently, which Sky Sports had to apologise for live on air.
Borson told Football Insider: “This is going to be a big challenge for everybody to figure out how to cover the story just because of how difficult the decision might be to digest for the public.
“I think all they’re trying to say is let’s not effectively say things that are immediately contradicted by the actual decision because we’re just going to look quite silly and have to potentially reverse our position on some of this stuff.
“I think this might have been triggered by something that was said recently on Soccer Saturday by Tim Sherwood.
“He made some comments on there, which they literally had to apologise for during the show.
“I suspect that was because City picked up the phone and said ‘There is a limit. There is the opportunity for fair comment in terms of discussing these matters, but there is an obligation to be fair to the club in terms of the way that it’s reported’.
“I think that’s what’s in the background. It is a perfectly reasonable view as to fairness.”
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