Manchester City face 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations, and both parties are awaiting a decision from a three-person independent panel.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has delivered a straightforward response to questions surrounding the ongoing legal dispute with Manchester City.
The club faces allegations of breaching Financial Fair Play regulations over nine years, from 2009 to 2018, whilst also being accused of failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s probe. The league hit City with 115 charges in 2023, though the actual number is closer to 130.
City have vehemently rejected any wrongdoing throughout the entire saga, having clinched three Premier League crowns during that timeframe. A three-person independent tribunal conducted a 12-week hearing, running from September 16 to December 6 2024, at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London, with both parties still waiting for a verdict.
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Speaking at the Business of Football summit on Thursday, February 26, Masters stated: “We’re still awaiting a decision. As you know, I can’t talk about it; I can’t talk about the timing of it, so there’s nothing more I can add.”
When pressed on what the Premier League might do to prevent another lengthy postponement in future, he continued: “I simply can’t [comment], but any regulator wants its judicial system to be efficient and seen to work swiftly. That’s about as far as I’m prepared to go.”
The wait for a resolution was always going to be lengthy. Pep Guardiola stated in February 2025 that the club anticipated a verdict within ‘one month’.
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In late July of the previous year, Masters informed NBC: “You can ask, but our rules are very clear; it’s a confidential process, so I can’t give any information on timing or anything like that. I can’t add anything on that.”
There has been considerable discussion about potential penalties for City should they be found guilty of violating the rules, with the panel having the authority to impose a punishment they deem appropriate.
According to Premier League regulations, they could enforce a points deduction, levy a fine, or even expel the club from the top flight. There is no predetermined penalty for financial infringements, and the alleged offences are unparalleled in their magnitude.
Once a decision is issued, both parties will have 14 days to appeal the ruling, which will lead to the appointment of a new three-person commission. Chair of the Premier League’s judicial panel, Murray Rosen KC, will select the members, and this process could further delay the outcome, but the result would be conclusive.
In August 2024, Guardiola said: “I wish from deep in my heart to go to the trial, the independent panel – and I say it again, independent panel – and as soon as possible (they) release what happened, and we will accept like always we have done.”