Gary Neville was seething with frustration while discussing Manchester City's 115 charge affair, slamming the lingering uncertainty as a "disgrace" to the beautiful game. In February 2023, the club was rocked by 115 alleged Premier League breaches spanning from 2009 to 2018.
Although City maintains their innocence, proceedings kicked off in September of last year, wrapping up in December. Even with City’s gaffer, Pep Guardiola, hinting at an expected verdict just a month down the line in February, all updates have ground to a halt. As the 2024/25 season draws a curtain this Sunday, the football world remains in limbo over the final word on City’s predicament.
During a Q&A for The Athletic, journalist David Ornstein drew curious eyes regarding any new intel on the charges, only to quell the queries with a succinct: "Zero." The latest airing of The Overlap Fan Debate, courtesy of Sky Bet, saw Neville hashing it out with Paul Scholes and Jamie Carragher, alongside Kieran Maguire, an ace in football finance, reports the Mirror.
Neville didn’t hold back his views on the delay, decrying the lack of transparency as damaging to football’s reputation, pressing the need for a swift end to the controversy.
"That Manchester City case is a disgrace; it's an absolute stain to the game," claimed Neville, voicing his discontent on the lingering Financial Fair Play rule-breaking allegations. "I have a lot of admiration for City, but I don't buy into this theory that clubs do really well, and City have, but it is still a stain to the game.
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"It has just been dragging on for years and years, it's an absolute joke. Yes, City have been defending themselves, but they've been pushing it so far into the long grass that you end up losing the will to live on it and you forget about it. It just needs to be dealt with."
Maguire, who has previously commented on the situation, predicted some charges would swing in the Premier League's favour, mentioning "I think we will see some sort of transitional rule with the APTs," and added, "We have already seen Brighton's loans from Tony Bloom have been converted into something that is between shares and debt."
He spoke of conversations that must be occurring behind closed doors: "There will be discussions taking place between clubs, lawyers and accountants as to how existing loans can be reclassified as equity. Therefore, that will assist things going forward."
On assessing the power dynamics, Maguire observed, "I think, based on historical evidence, that City have got the upper hand over the Premier League. Nick DeMarco thinks it will be a score draw where the Premier League will win some of the 115 charges but City will have a far stronger case in others."
He also mentioned legal expert Nick DeMarco's view, saying "I think, based on historical evidence, that City have got the upper hand over the Premier League. Nick DeMarco thinks it will be a score draw where the Premier League will win some of the 115 charges but City will have a far stronger case in others."