THE verdict on Manchester City’s mountain of charges from the Premier League is unlikely to arrive before the summer, reports suggest.
The Prem’s landmark court battle with the club sees City facing more than 115 charges relating to breaches of financial rules over a nine-year period and allegations of failing to cooperate with investigations.
1
Originally reported as 115, the charges actually come out to 130 overall because of confusion over some of the rules listed in particular seasons, with the Prem issuing a correction with the new figure.
A hearing into the matter by an independent commission concluded in December after nearly three months of argument at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre.
But now, according to The Telegraph, the outcome of the case is unlikely to emerge before the summer despite initial hope the verdict would be announced in the early spring.
The complexities of the case, including the amount of evidence heard, challenged and scrutinised have all added to the tension around the legal battle.
Premier League bosses first brought the charges against City in February 2023, with the investigation now dating back almost six-and-a-half years.
City deny their guilt and claim they have “irrefutable evidence” to back up their position, with their defence being led by Lord Pannick KC.
Manager Pep Guardiola has been on the front lines dealing with questions about the case.
In February he had said: “In one month there will be a verdict and sentence and after we will see my opinion of what happened so far.”
BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK
However, a verdict remains some time away.
If the charges are proven then City will face punishments ranging from a heavy points deduction or even relegation.
Rival Prem clubs could even claim for a loss of income over the outcome of certain seasons which could total hundreds of millions of pounds.
What will happen to Man City?
MAN CITY began the season as favourites to win the Premier League title yet again – but there is one elephant in the room that threatens to put the skids under the Etihad giants.
Sunsport’s MARTIN LIPTON discusses what the next few months could hold with Head of Sport SHAUN CUSTIS….
Custis: So the big question – will there be a resolution this season?
Lipton: Yes…. probably! It will take at least a month to go through the evidence. So I suspect around March, April time, we will get a result. But that’s where it starts to get tricky.
Custis: Why is that?
Lipton: If the result is in City’s favour, that’s the end of the matter. They will be cleared. They will have no punishment to face.
But if City are found guilty, these will be the heaviest penalties ever imposed by the Premier League.
I suspect if they are found guilty, they will be expelled from the league or given a massive points deduction and a huge fine so that they’re not in the Premier League next season.
Check out the full discussion on Man City’s future.
