Why is the Man City 115 charges case taking so long?

Another Premier League season is set to kick off without a resolution to Manchester City’s financial charges.

In February 2023, Manchester City were charged with more than 100 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.

A 12-week hearing into the allegations, which City have always strenuously denied, concluded in December 2024.

But an independent commission is still yet to publish a ruling on the case, which is described as “hugely complex”.

The Premier League’s chief executive, Richard Masters, admitted this week the case is taking is longer than expected.

“I can't give any update on timing or what's happening,” Masters told Sky News on the eve of the new Premier League season.

"There's only one available route through this, which is to allow the process to take its course.

“It has taken longer than expected, and I do understand the frustrations."

Manchester City were referred to an independent commission in February 2023 following a four-year investigation. The Premier League said the alleged breaches took place over a nine-season period, from 2009 to 2018, and relate to providing accurate financial information.

City were also charged with failing to comply with the Premier League’s rules on profit and sustainability (PSR) and Uefa’s financial fair play regulations, and were alleged to have not cooperated with the Premier League over its investigation.

The club’s response at the time read: “Manchester City FC is surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules, particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with.

“The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position. As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”

The charges, thought to range somewhere from 115 to as many as 130, mostly relate to:

• 54 - Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information (2009-2018)
• 14 - Failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation (2009-2018)
• 5 - Failure to comply with Uefa’s regulations, including Financial Fair Play Regulations
• 7 - Breaching Premier League Profitability and Sustainability regulations (2015-2018)
• 35 - Failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations (2018-2023)

This is the fourth Premier League season that is set to start amid the backdrop of Manchester City’s charges. The 12-week hearing ran from 16 September to 6 December 2024 and while a verdict was initially speculated for early 2025 the timeframe between the start of the hearing and the judgement has stretched to almost three years.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters pleaded for patience last August, before the start of the 2025-26 season, and reiterated that his organisation has no control over the timings, telling Sky Sports: "It's an independent judiciary essentially.

“They are then in charge of the process and its timings. They hear the case, they decide the outcome and we have no influence over it or its timing. My frustration is irrelevant really, I just have to wait. Legal processes rarely take less time than you anticipated. But we have to be patient.”

On the eve of the new season, Arsenal’s chief executive Richard Garlick told the BBC that Premier League clubs want “clarity”.

“It has gone on for a while,” he said. “Everybody - the league and the teams - would want the clarity around what's going to happen next.

“But it's not something that I can control. It's not something that I can speculate on. I just hope that there is a solution very quickly.”

In March this year, Chelsea received a suspended transfer ban and a £10.75m fine after reaching a settlement over Premier League rules breaches.

Chelsea voluntarily reported potential historical breaches of rules in 2022, concerning its use of unauthorised agents or unregistered intermediaries when signing new players and then submitted false and misleading documentation.

They primarily related to the seasons between 2010/11 to 2015/16, which came under the ownership of the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, and were discovered during the due diligence process following the change of ownership in 2022.

Chelsea admitted to all 74 breaches. In July, following a similar verdict from the Football Association, the Blues confirmed that the FA’s punishment “brings all regulatory proceedings against the club to a close”.

In June this year, Everton have been ordered to pay a £35m compensation payment to Burnley after breaching PSR rules over a three-year period, including in the 2021-22 season where the Toffees avoided relegation at the expense of the Clarets.

Everton, who were given a 10-point deduction over the breaches in November 2023, which was reduced to six points on appeal, launched another appeal against the ruling, which they said sets a “dangerous precedent” that could lead to a rash of other legal cases between clubs.