Unexpected Man City 115 charges scenario Jamie Carragher warned everyone about has now happened

An unexpected scenario surrounding Manchester City's 115 charges case has now played out as the footballing world awaits a verdict.

City were charged with 115 breaches of financial rules by the Premier League in February 2023, with a small number of the charges relating to UEFA.

The club have denied any wrongdoing and claim they have an 'irrefutable body of evidence' that will prove them innocent.

A private hearing was held in December but a verdict has not been reached.

Even after that verdict is announced, both parties will have the opportunity to appeal if the independent panel does not find in their favour.

The private nature of the case means that few updates have been reported in recent months, with The Telegraph claiming in April that it may be into next season before the football world gets a clearer picture.

That would make it two and a half years since the initial announcement of the charges.

Fans have begun to raise question marks over the process given the lack of updates in recent months, though given the potential significance of the case on English football, it is perhaps not a major surprise that the situation would never have been resolved quickly - if not this long into proceedings.

And speaking on Sky Sports in May 2023, Carragher stated his belief that the proceedings must not span over two years.

He said: "Manchester City, rightly so, they defend themselves and say they're innocent of all charges.

"But if you're innocent of all charges, why do people keep saying that we're going to kick the can down the road? That this is going to go on for two to four years? Manchester City don't want this. Man City supporters don't want it. The Premier League don't want it.

"It's not good when we're talking about one of the greatest teams we've seen of all-time in the Premier League, and managers, that there is this almost asterisk above it until this is all sorted out.

"My message to Manchester City would be - this needs to get sorted sooner rather than later. Just for your own reputation. Because there's no doubt about it, if City get a guilty [verdict] on this, all this stuff we're talking about will be tainted. There's no doubt about that."