Everything you need to know about Man City 115 charges case vs Premier League
The independent hearing between Manchester City and the Premier League regarding the 115 allegations of financial wrongdoing began on Monday.
FFP, 115 charges, independent commission – all phrases you may have heard in relation to Manchester City’s legal battle with the Premier League, which started on Monday. A lot of acronyms and jargon have been used in relation to the case over the last 18 months, which might have left a few with a headache about the whole thing. Perhaps all wish to see a conclusion to this ongoing saga, so a verdict can finally be drawn on the matter Man City strongly claim innocence on all counts and have vowed to clear their name. The next few months will reveal how successful they have been in that endeavour but until then, here is a guide on all you need to know about the independent hearing.
The charges were levelled back in February 2023 and Man City were quick to take issue with them, strongly denying all allegations. The accusations relate to the period between 2009 and 2018, so Man City’s successes from 2019 onwards are not being put into the spotlight.
Claims of financial wrongdoing were first made public by German newspaper Der Spiegel in 2018, with the outlet claiming that illegal payments had occurred at the club. The case is unprecedented in scope, and the hearing’s result, guilty or innocent, will have enormous ramifications.
What are the charges?
You can read the full list of charges here, but they can somewhat be split into three categories; illicit financing, un-cooperation and finance rule breaches within both Uefa and Premier League regulations. The allegations strictly cover the nine-year period specified earlier. A point of note, UEFA brand their finance rules as ‘Financial Fair Play’ [FFP] while the Premier League’s own version is named Profit & Sustainability Rules [PSR].
How long will it last for?
Probably around two-and-a-half months, or 10 weeks, initially. However, a verdict on the case is not expected until early 2025 amid expected lengthy deliberations from the independent panel. Both the Premier League and Man City have the right to appeal any outcome, which would delay the ultimate conclusion of the case. Unlike a courtroom where journalists are allowed in to report, this is a private hearing so updates are expected to be limited and sporadic.
Will Man City be relegated if found guilty?
The best response is probably not knowing, but we don’t know. Owing to the case’s unique circumstances, it is believed that all possible sentencing alternatives could be applied.
This implies that there is a chance for relegation, title retraction, transfer embargoes, and point reductions. However, it’s unclear how much power the Premier League actually has to impose fines, since that PSR findings pertaining to Leicester and Everton have been overturned in the last year.
What has Man City said?
Man City issued a forceful statement in February 2023 following the charges’ announcement, refuting all of the claims and expressing their “surprisal” at the Premier League’s accusations.
Given their “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” supporting its claims of innocence, the city says it welcomes the independent commission. “Therefore, we anticipate that this issue will be resolved once and for all,” the statement said in closing.
And on Friday, Pep Guardiola said he was “happy” that the case was beginning on Monday, before suggesting that all other Premier League clubs wished to see Man City sanctioned.
What has the Premier League said?
In a nutshell, not much. Premier League chief Richard Masters refused to disclose the start date of the hearing when asked to by a Governmental panel in January (above) on the basis of the case being between private entities. Further explaining why he failed to produce a date, Masters told the BBC in August: “Quite simply, it’s not within our rules to be able to do so. “What we do is we publish charges when they are made and we publish decisions when they are made. The bit in between is managed by an independent panel and they’re very clear that they want that process to be confidential.” Asked for comment on the case itself, he added it had “been going on for a number
What does the Premier League have to lose?
Obviously, winning the case is a much better scenario for the Premier League but it would still damage the competitive integrity of the league between 2009 and 2018, during which time City won three titles and qualified for the Champions League multiple times.