A key update on Manchester City's case with the Premier League has emerged courtesy of a respected journalist.
City were accused of 115 breaches of financial rules over a nine-year period by the Premier League back in February 2023 and the case, which featured a three-month hearing was concluded in December when closing arguments by both expensively-assembled law teams were heard.
The verdict will be decided by a three-person Independent Commission panel and it was previously reported that the outcome would be released before the end of the 2024/25 campaign - with City boss Pep Guardiola even dropping a hint.
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However, there are just three games remaining in the Premier League and now Mark Douglas from the i Paper, citing a number of sources, is reporting that a decision is set to be delayed and it is “unrealistic” for a swift resolution.
City, who strenuously deny the charges and are confident they will be cleared, had been hoping for a conclusion but the start of the summer is now seen as the very earliest potential timeline.
However, one sports lawyer who specialises in arbitration, believes the case could still be ongoing for "another couple of years” because of possible appeals which would bring a further delay.
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"There is such a big media frenzy around it that people have almost forgotten that this is what happens quite regularly in arbitration,” Maxime van den Dijssel of Brandsmiths law firm, told the outlet.
“Arbitrators won’t necessarily pay attention to the frenzy around it [the case]. They’ll have a lot of material to get through, the stakes are very high and they need to cover all bases. "They won’t want to leave any room for either side to argue there is procedural unfairness.
“They will take that little bit longer to render a decision. It doesn’t necessarily indicate it’s going one way or another, it’s more a matter of them doing their job as carefully as possible.
“It does lead us into a position where we might not have a decision until leading into next season and then, subject to appeals, there’s going to be a lot of uncertainty about their placement in the league, how it impacts other clubs in the competition, so there is a lot we still don’t know.
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“I’m not surprised it’s taking this long. It’s common for things to take this long. They have to all effectively sit in a room and decide and go through it, and when there’s that much material, it makes sense that it would take this long.”
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When it does arrive, the outcome will have a seismic impact on English football going forward. If found guilty, City could be facing a hefty points deduction as well as a significant fine.
The club are believed to be "totally confident" they will be "exonerated" and have said they have "irrefutable evidence" which proves their innocence.
What are the 115 charges?
- Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 - 54 alleged breaches
- Failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 to February 2023 - 35 alleged breaches
- Failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 - 14 alleged breaches
- Breaches of Premier League profitability and sustainability regulations from 2015/16 to and including 2017/18 - Seven alleged breaches
- Failure to comply with UEFA's regulations, including UEFA's Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play regulations - Five alleged breaches
Even with the charges hanging over them, City have operated as normal and tied down Guardiola and Erling Haaland to new contracts as well as spending around £180 million on new signings in the January transfer window.
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Another summer spree is expected under new director of football Hugo Viana, who has arrived from Sporting CP.
Topics: Manchester City, Premier League, Pep Guardiola
Josh Lawless