Manchester City are facing bleak circumstances
Manchester City are facing bleak circumstances(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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The news of Manchester City’s financial charges guilty verdict, as per the independent panel, means that this season will be like no other in Premier League history.
All but one of the 100-plus allegations levelled at City have been upheld and the potential ramifications are massive. That is, if the club’s appeal is dismissed.
Man City have always denied wrongdoing and insist they have “irrefutable evidence” of their innocence. Blues CEO Ferran Soriano has told internal staff that the owners will explore every legal avenue possible to exonerate themselves from what he brands as a "conspiracy" against them.
The appeal - set to be judged by a new three-person independent panel - looks into whether the process of the initial hearing itself was flawed, rather than assessing any new evidence.
Instead, reports suggest Man City will look to claim that extra funding came from the Abu Dhabi government rather than the personal wealth of owner and UAE vice president Sheikh Mansour - thereby arguing that the panel misjudged the evidence.
In the meantime, it is not clear whether sanctions - determined by the same three-person panel that administered the initial 114-charge guilty verdict - will come before or after appeal. Logic would dictate it will come after the appeals process, but there is no formal guidance on this matter.
So at the moment, Leeds United and other Premier League clubs can only go off the league’s handbook when it comes to the appeals process. In section ‘W’, it states that the appeal hearing should take place within 12 weeks of when the appeal was first lodged.
Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan(Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)
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The hearing itself should not last beyond five days and the outcome must be published within 30 days of its conclusion. Man City lodged their appeal on Thursday, October 1, so the appeal process would need to conclude by Christmas Eve.
Thirty days on from that brings up the date of January 23. However, the handbook does make allowances for these ‘Standard Directions’ rules to deviate in special circumstances.
This clause was only inserted into this season’s handbook and Man City could argue that it therefore cannot apply to historical cases and thus drag the process out further. But currently, clubs will be expectantly looking to mid-to-late January for news.
Rivals are reported to want a conclusion by the end of the season, including the imposition of sanctions, which Man City can also appeal. Given the unprecedented nature and scale of the case, all sanctions remain on the table, including league expulsion.
The Premier League can offer sanction recommendations that the independent panel - the one which submitted the guilty verdict - can consider, but it is ultimately up to said panel to decide them.
However, one rule in the handbook states that three-quarters of the league - so 15 clubs - would need to vote in favour of explusion for this to happen. Given the commercial potential of Man City being a Premier League member, this is far from certain.
Yet there is said to be a general want for sanctions to be applied before the end of the season to allow for clarity and also, from the Premier League’s standpoint, to avoid a situation where Man City win the league having been found guilty of financial wrongdoing.
Premier League CEO Richard Masters after Manchester City won the Premier League.
Premier League CEO Richard Masters after Manchester City won the Premier League.(Image: Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
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The outcome of the appeal would, in theory, offer more clarity to the likes of Leeds and others over what legal action could be taken against Man City in regards to loss of earnings as a result of the rule breaches. Talk of class action - the combining of all suing parties - has arisen.
Indeed, some undisclosed clubs are said to be working on what avenues are available to them should the appeal bid fail. Man City could, though, take the matter to the high court - albeit they would need to prove this is a legal case rather than purely a sporting breach.
The charges relate to the period between 2009 and 2018, when Leeds were not in the Premier League. However, they could argue that Man City benefited from that period in the years after, when Leeds were in the Premier League.
United could therefore argue a loss of earnings came from finishing one place lower in the Premier League table, amidst City's period of wrongdoing. And meanwhile, some rivals may allege Man City will not have stopped breaching after 2018.
Simply, the fall-out from the verdict could be huge - from ex-players seeking compensation for reputational damage, companies looking to break off sponsorship deals, threats of UAE investment withdrawal from the UK and which league Man City drop to upon potential expulsion.
This is a story that could rumble on for years. What is certain is that the Premier League will never be the same again.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in his best form
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in his best form(Stu Forster/Getty Images)