Manchester City have been charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations, with the club and the league still awaiting a verdict.
Manchester City and Josep Guardiola are still awaiting the verdict in their legal battle with the Premier League
Manchester City and their Premier League opponents could be left in limbo for another year as they await the verdict on 115 charges brought against the club. Former Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea chief Christian Parslow believes there is still a long way to go, with all parties anticipating a verdict, but predicts a point deduction could be around the corner.
Despite the conclusion of the independent inquiry, the legal dispute between City and the Premier League is yet to be concluded. The club is accused of breaching financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.
Citi continues to maintain his innocence and faces up to 130 potential violations, despite a purported 115 charges. From 2009 to 2018, the club won three Premier League titles.
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Despite the already long litigation, Parslow does not foresee a quick resolution. “This first panel showed us that predicting schedules is a fool’s errand,” he said on “Football Boardroom,” co-hosted by journalist Henry Winter.
“If a finding of guilt were found, and in that scenario, Manchester City could perfectly reasonably choose to appeal under the Premier League’s appeal rules, which could take at least three, six, nine or 12 months to come.
“Importantly, at the same time as they consider the decision, the issue of sanctions will most likely be deferred, even if a finding of guilt is found.”
Manchester City have yet to receive the results of the inquest into their charges (Image: PA)
Parslow also made it clear that potential penalties and settlements are not straightforward. “I don’t think an out-of-court settlement between the Premier League and Manchester City, like the APT (related party transaction) case, will resolve these issues,” he said.
“I want to be clear about that. I think it would be a terrible mistake for the Premier League to be seduced…Both sides think, ‘You know what, let’s come to an agreement with a reasonable sanction and a reasonable settlement and move on.’
“I think that would be a terrible mistake. It would be impossible to please everyone. The smart decision would be, if I were the Premier League chairman, let the lawyers do it. Let’s let it be a process that everyone agreed to.”
“My point is simple: If we leave it to the judges, it will take a long time and be frustrating, but it will set a precedent.
“The precedent is sports sanctions. Sports sanctions are likely to result in significant point deductions and could ultimately lead to relegation.”
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