This could spell financial ruin
Manchester City have been the centre of talk in the football world since the hearing was announced, with many rumours circulating the club could face a heavy points deduction or even relegation from the Premier League.
The current Premier League champions were charged by the Premier League in February 2023 with both Everton and Nottingham Forest being punished last season with points deductions for lesser offences.
City have continued to deny any wrongdoing and claim to have a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” to fight their case, while the club “look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all”.
However, it has now been reported by The Times that a group of Premier League clubs have lodged legal notices to ‘reserve the right’ to hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation from City.
If found guilty it will be deemed that the club had illegally won their trophies, meaning the clubs that lost out will be entitled to compensation.
This could even extent to European trophies.
It is still uncertain whether City could be stripped of these titles.
The four teams who have lodged these claims are unsurprisingly, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Meanwhile, the club have now been given a timeframe from when they will be given a decision on the 115 charges lodged against the club for alleged violations of financial and administrative rules.
According to The Athletic the hearing is expected to come to a conclusion by the end of the year, meaning Manchester City will know their fate by the time the January transfer window opens for business.
Previously, it had been expected that the club would have to wait till 2025 for a decision.
This deadline could prove crucial as the club will be able to plan in ahead for its future depending on the outcome of the trial.
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If City do indeed face a harsh punishment that may entail relegation, players may jump ship in January, while a win for City could see them strengthen on the back of such an outcome.
For many English football fans the final ruling could either be a happy Christmas present, or a disappointing lump of coal.
Time will tell.
According to the BBC, these are how Man City’s charges are composed:
54x Failure to provide accurate financial information (2009/10 – 2017/18).
• 14x Failure to provide accurate details for player and manager payments (2009/10 – 2017/18).
• 5x Failure to comply with Uefa’s rules including Financial Fair Play (FFP) (2013-14 – 2017-18).
• 7x Breaching Premier League’s PSR rules (2015-16 – 2017/18).
• 35x Failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations (December 2018 – February 2023).
