Man City 115 Charges Case Takes Twist as Verdict Rumour Circulates

Manchester City's 115 Premier League charges hearing first started more than a year ago but the end could now be in sight.

It is more than two-and-a-half years since City were first charged by the Premier League in February 2023 over dozens of alleged rule breaches, leading to the so-called 'Trial of the Century'.

The charges mainly relate to a nine-year period, starting in 2009 and ending in 2018, with City accused of failing to provide accurate information, failing to provide accurate details for player and manager payments, breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSR), failing to comply with UEFA regulations including financial fair play (FFP) and failing to cooperate with Premier League investigations - all of which the club strenuously denied.

The Etihad club claimed at the time that they had "irrefutable evidence" to support their defence, leading to an independent hearing - which took place between September and December of last year.

It was initially expected that a verdict from the independent three-person panel would be published within a matter of months, but it is yet to be released more than a year since the hearing first commenced.

City has denied all charges (Image: Getty)

But that could be about to change.

The Daily Mail report that a 'rumour' is circulating that a resolution to the case could come 'this month'.

However, it is not the first time suggestions have been made over an imminent verdict announcement, only for it to fail to materialise.

Earlier this month City and the Premier League reached a resolution in the separate Associated Party Transaction (APT) dispute relating to the system of policing sponsorship from companies with links to clubs' owners.

The Daily Mail suggest the case may have been a 'tactical' move by City to secure their lucrative Etihad sponsorship deal at a level initially rejected by the Premier League as not 'fair market value'.

However, experts have told the publication it is highly unlikely City and the Premier League will reach a similar compromise over the 115 charges.

Rumours are circulating a verdict could come this month (Image: Getty)

An unnamed commercial litigation lawyer told the Mail: "With both sides apparently having set their stall out at such diametrically opposing positions, it would be hard to envisage a climb down.

"For example, how can City suddenly agree to accept, say, 75 charges or the Premier League agree to write off 50 others? Not now the proceedings are concluded.

"The other clubs would go berserk. I sense that the ruling will be the end of it. My sense, based on nothing specific, is that it was an all or nothing kind of case."

As the process is 'arbitration' rather than in a court, it is binding and there can be no appeal over the final verdict - another potential contributing factor to the length of the process.

Several punishments for City, should they be found guilty of all charges, have been suggested – including fines, points deductions and even expulsion from the Premier League.