PREMIER LEAGUE
Manchester City vs Premier League: what are the charges and when is a decision expected?
The dominant team in England over recent years were found to have breached financial rules, and the process of judgement begins.
The highly anticipated trial between Manchester City and the Premier League, focused on the club’s alleged 115* financial rule breaches, finally has a start date set, kicking off on Monday, September 16, 2024.
Man City ruling before end of season
The Premier League initially accused City in February of last year, claiming the club violated financial regulations 115 times between 2009 and 2018. The proceedings are expected to span up to ten weeks, with a final verdict likely arriving by spring 2025 at the latest.
If found guilty, City could face penalties ranging from fines and points deductions to possible relegation. The club has consistently denied all wrongdoing and said they were “surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches” while saying they “welcome the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position. As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”
Back in 2019, under Pep Guardiola’s leadership, City was handed a two-year ban from UEFA competitions due to financial misconduct, a decision later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which reduced the punishment to a €10 million fine.
However, since CAS has no authority over Premier League matters, any appeal from City would need to be filed in a London court. This case, one of the most consequential in the history of the Premier League, will be overseen by an independent tribunal not affiliated with the league itself.
* Note that while 115 was the original number, The Times has reported that City now face 130 charges. The new total includes allegations of failing to cooperate with an investigation and not providing required documents from the 2018-19 to 2022-23 seasons. The increase is attributed to confusion over the Premier League’s original February 2023 announcement, where some rules for specific seasons were incorrectly listed.
Number of charges for each breach
“In accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League confirms that it has today referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club (Club) to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4″ a statement from the Premier League said on February 6, 2023.
The original 115 charges, with nine seasons of accounts having been investigated from 2009 to 2018, are broken down as follows.
54 - Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009-10 to 2017-18
14 - Failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009-10 to 2017-18
5 - Failure to comply with UEFA’s regulations, including UEFA’s Club and Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations
7 - Breaches of Premier League profitability and sustainability regulations from 2015-16 to and including 2017-18 season
35 - Failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018-present
What punishment could Manchester City face?
AS have written an in-depth explanation of the full run-down of the punishments and how Everton’s recent guilty verdict may affect the City decision, but in short, the current Champions League holders could be hit with a plethora of punishments should things go against them. The list includes things such as “a fine of unlimited quantity, suspension of a club from playing in league matches, with an unlimited timeframe, point deductions, replays of past matches, permanent expulsion”.
It was expected that the verdict could take months or even possibly years, simply due to the colossal scale of the investigation given just how many breaches the club are alleged to have committed. Suggestions now, though, are that we should know the outcome by spring, or at the latest summer, of next year. Given the size of the operation, it is also not wild to assume that any punishment City face would be levels above the ten-point sanction handed out to Everton earlier in the current season.