David Ornstein has offered an update on Manchester City's 115 charges case against the Premier League.
The Premier League initially charged City with 115 alleged breaches of their financial rules - with a minority of the breaches relating to UEFA - back in February 2023.
The Times reported in December that the charges are believed to be as high as 130 due to a reporting error from the Premier League, though the league nor City have made any comment on the matter.
City do strenuously deny the charges against them, and say they have an 'irrefutable body of evidence' for use in their defence.
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A private hearing into the matter took place between September and December which, by definition, has given little extra information surrounding the case, with a verdict expected to be announced this month.
Both parties can appeal whatever verdict is made. If found guilty, City could face points deductions, fines, or even relegation in the most serious scenario.
Now, Ornstein has revealed a rare update on the situation ahead of the expected verdict.
During his latest Q&A on The Athletic, he has indicated that a verdict could arrive as late as June - around the time of City's participation in this summer's Club World Cup.
He wrote: "People have been saying things like 'imminent', 'this week', 'tomorrow' for ages now, and that shows most of us simply don't know - probably only a small number involved in the process do.
"The expectation at Man City has been 'spring', and if that's the case, we're into that.
"However, it'd also mean we could be waiting until late June!
"Plus, as long as we don't have anything firm from the Premier League, City or other parties privy to the matter, it's largely speculation and perhaps subject to change.
"Another thing we don't know is the nature of the announcement. So, will the verdict be as black and white as many are anticipating? Could it be an anti-climax? How much detail will there be to sift through? What are the next steps? Will there be appeals, and if the answer is yes, how long could they take?
"You suspect this process is nowhere near finished yet."
Manchester City's 115 charges in full
Here is a full breakdown of the charges laid against City by the Premier League, with a small minority of the charges also involving UEFA.
- Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 - 54 alleged breaches
- Failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 - present [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 - 7 alleged breaches
- Failure to comply with UEFA's regulations, including UEFA's Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations - 5 alleged breaches
Topics: David Ornstein, Manchester City, Premier League
Ryan Smart