Manchester City and the Premier League are in Tenterhook as they await the long-painted saga verdict. The club was handed over 115 violations of the Financial Fair Play Rules over nine years in 2009, continuing until 2018, following the acquisition of Abu Dhabi United Group.
The club has maintained a fierce innocence in every respect and consistently states that its name will become clear. Additionally, the city has been accused of not cooperating with the financial investigation. After a 12-week hearing that began in September 2024, Pep Guardiola announced that he hopes the club will hear the verdict “in a month.” But a year later, the decision is still wrapped. In situations surrounded by uncertainty, Express Sport offers you everything you need to know about suspicious pricing.
Where did this start?
The charge was first thrown in City in February 2023, prompting a robust denial from the club. The case is unparalleled in scale and the outcome of the hearing has widespread meaning, whether guilty or innocent. The allegations of financial misconduct were originally announced in 2018 by German newspaper Der Spiegel, claiming that illegal payments were made at the club.
What exactly are the prices for these 115?
Fees can be divided into three categories: illegal funding within UEFA and Premier League regulations, non-cooperation, and violations of financial rules.
Accused City Stand:
54X Failed to provide accurate financial information 2009/10 to 2017/18.14X Failed to provide accurate details of player and manager payments for 2009/10 to 2017/18.5x failed to comply with UEFA rules including PSR Rules for the Breaching Premier League, including 2017/18.35x breakdowns. 2018- February 2023.
If convicted, could Man City face demobilization?
It’s difficult to say. Given the unprecedented nature of the incident, the potential punishment range is endless, and all options may be on the table.
Demotions were not possible, but could, as well as their title, transfer embargo, point deductions and fine stripping. “We don’t know if Manchester City is innocent or if they’re guilty of either of the fees. We can wait more before the tariffs are announced,” football finance expert Kieran Maguire told the Manchester Evening News in April.
It is important to repeat the city’s vehemently denying fraud and claiming it had unrefuted evidence in favor of their stance.
Why does the verdict take so long?
In short, the enormous number of fees and the severity of the accusation is why the incident has been dragged out for so long. Comparing the city’s case to cases previously brought against Nottingham Forest and Everton, Maguire told the BBC:
“They were open and shut cases,” Maguire told the BBC. There was 50,000 pieces of evidence proposed by both parties. In Manchester City, you will probably need to increase it by 10 times, so you can see the 500,000 sheets of evidence that the three members of the committee need to reflect.
“They are also in demand for their work, so it’s not always easy to try and get them around the table regularly, so we’re not yet far away in terms of making the conclusion and verdict of the evidence introduction in eight months.”
What did Man City say?
Following the announcement of the charges in February 2023, City has issued a statement strongly voicing that it rejected all allegations and expressed its “surprise” by the Premier League accusations. City states welcome the Independent Commission, citing “a comprehensive body of unrefuted evidence” in favour of their alleged innocence. The statement said: “This issue is looking forward to the full rest of this issue.”
Last September Guardiola said he was “happy” before suggesting that other Premier League clubs wanted city approval.
What did the Premier League say?
Premier League chief Richard Masters refused to disclose the start date of the hearing when he was questioned by the Government Commission in early 2024.
Masters further explained his reluctance to provide the BBC to date, saying, “To put it very simply, what we can do is not within our rules. What we do is to make the fees public when they are made and to make the decisions public when they are made.
In July 2025, Masters was once again asked about the decision. He replied to NBC: “You can ask, but our rules are very clear and we can’t provide information about timing and more because it’s a confidential process,” he told NBC. “I can’t add anything to it.”
After former Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy criticized the lengthy process last month, Masters said: “The only point I can talk about it publicly is when a decision is made. I can’t guess why it’s really something I can say.
