Manchester City were charged with breaching financial fair play rules by the Premier League, with the charges covering a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018
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Kieran Maguire
A financial expert has chimed in on Manchester City's case(Image: YouTube/The Overlap)
A football finance expert has suggested that the ongoing case against Manchester City is being delayed by lawyers due to their massive wage bill.
City have been accused of breaching financial fair play rules over a nine-year period by the Premier League, starting in 2009 and continuing until 2018. They've also been charged with failing to cooperate with the investigation into their finances. The club has vehemently denied all charges brought against them and underwent a hearing regarding these alleged rule breaks from September 16 through December 6 in 2024.
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Due to the sheer number of charges, it was accepted that the timeframe between the hearing and the official judgment could be several months. However, many fans and former players are growing impatient about the potential City ruling, and are eager to learn the outcome.
On The Overlap Fan Debate, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher and Manchester United icon Paul Scholes asked guest Kieran Maguire – a football finance expert – for the latest on City's charges, and his reply shed light on the case.
Maguire was candid about the uncertainty surrounding the timing of the ruling, stating: "When it does come out, I think the big fear is that you get the verdict as to whether they're guilty or innocent of the charges, but you don't get told what the punishment is – that could take longer.
"If you look at some court cases, somebody will be found guilty or not guilty, and then the judge goes away and considers it. I think that would really set the cat amongst the pigeons, but in terms of the actual date, I think Pep said that it was going to be in March – well, we've got to the end of March and no news. So, how long it will be, we don't know."
Maguire, the host of The Price of Football podcast, which delves into the financial aspects of the beautiful game, also suggested that the delay in the decision might be financially motivated for the legal professionals involved, reports the Manchester Evening News.
He added: "You've got to think about the lawyers – they're on the clock. If I'm on £3,000-£5,000 an hour, I'm not going to hurry a decision as to when the result is going to come out.
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"There's certainly a desire from the Premier League for it to come out [before the end of the season], because otherwise, we've got a hangover over the summer in terms of where does this leave clubs.
"If it comes out in July, for example, and Manchester City are given a 40 or 50-point deduction, then presumably one of Leicester or Ipswich will be saying, 'well, if that had come out earlier, then we would have avoided relegation' – so, therefore, they might be putting in a legal case."
The financial expert highlighted that should City be caught out, the potential points punishment could dwarf previous penalties for breaching financial fair play.
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Everton faced a 10-point reduction, decreased to six upon appeal, with an additional two points docked last campaign; while Nottingham Forest lost four points within the same season.
Maguire explained: "The tariffs that we've seen from the commissions for both Everton and Forest said the way forward is no point in fining a billionaire owner a few quid - because there's no disincentive there to misbehave.
"If you read the commission reports from cover to cover, they both say that these were minor breaches of the rules and what Manchester City are being accused of is corporate fraud over the period of nearly a decade.
"So if guilty, you've got to add a zero to the points deductions that we've seen for Forest and Everton. If not guilty, there's going to be a lot of trouble.
"Ultimately, there's going to be a penalty [if it happens] and that penalty is going to be decided by the commission. If it's in the form of a points deduction, then it's got to be a victory for the Premier League, I think."
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