Manchester City have been threatened with expulsion from the league, significant fines and heavy points deductions if found guilty
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Sport
14:07, 23 May 2025
Gary Neville
'Furious' ... Gary Neville(Image: @TheOverlap/Youtube)
Gary Neville is absolutely livid about the delayed outcome of Manchester City's Financial Fair Play case, branding the situation a "disgrace" to football. The outgoing champions have faced 15 alleged breaches relating to club finances since February 2023, but no decision on the case has been made public.
Clubs across the league, including Aston Villa, have been awaiting an outcome in the case, seeking guidance on what they are allowed to do if City lose, or how they can exploit the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules if the Etihad club are successful.
The charges relate to the period from 2009 to 2018, and City vehemently denying any misconduct. A hearing kicked off last September and is thought to have ended in December, but so far there has been no whisper of a verdict - despite City boss Pep Guardiola hinting at an impending decision back in February.
It is all too much for pundit and Manchester United legend Neville, who made his feelings crystal clear during a debate on The Overlap podcast also featuring Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher and football finance guru Kieran Maguire, reports the Mirror.
Neville didn’t mince his words, labelling the lack of progress as a blight on the sport itself, stressing that a swift resolution was crucial.
"I have a lot of admiration for City, but it is still a stain to the game. 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 recently predicted that some charges will go in the Premier League's favour while City will have the "upper hand" with others, added: "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.
"So I think, based on historical evidence, that City have got the upper hand over the Premier League. (Leading sports lawyer) 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."
It's been a lacklustre season for the outgoing league champions, who are set to end the season without any silverware for the first time since Guardiola's arrival at the Etihad nearly ten years ago, following their 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final at Wembley last Saturday.
However, victory in their long-running case against the Premier League, even on just some of the key charges, would be a significant triumph, especially amid talk of expulsion from the league, significant fines and heavy points deductions if found guilty.