Askume, Sept 16 – A hearing into alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules by Manchester City is due to begin on Monday.
When will the Manchester City hearing take place and how long will it last?
The hearing will begin on Monday and is expected to last 10 weeks, with a verdict expected sometime before the current session ends.
It will be administered by an independent committee composed of three judges appointed by the independent chairman of the Premier League Judicial Panel.
The hearing is not a court case and will be held in private. Either party can appeal the decision to an appeals panel, but the case will not go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), sport’s highest court.
Lawyer David Panic will lead Manchester City’s defense. According to British media reports, the Premier League will be represented by Adam Lewis.
What are the allegations against Manchester City?
City, who have won eight Premier League titles, one Champions League, three FA Cups and six League Cups since being bought by Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, were charged with 115 breaches of Premier League rules last year.
These fees will begin in 2009 and continue through the 2022-23 season. City has always denied any wrongdoing.
City were accused of breaching rules requiring clubs to provide “true and fair information” to the league about club income, including sponsorships and operating costs, in each season from 2009–10 to 2017–18.
The Premier League also said City had breached rules requiring clubs to comply with the Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations of European football’s governing body UEFA from the 2013-14 to the 2017-18 seasons.
The Premier League claims City failed to cooperate with an investigation that began in 2018, including providing documents and information.
City are also accused of breaching the league’s profitability and sustainability (PSR) regulations in the 2015–16, 2016–17 and 2017–18 seasons.
The Premier League further claimed City had failed to disclose contracts, including full details of managerial salaries from 2009-10 to 2012-13, when Roberto Mancini was in charge, and player payments from 2010-11 to 2015-16. The amount of compensation was also not disclosed.
What happens if Manchester City are found guilty?
If City are found guilty of some or all of the charges, they could face heavy fines, points deductions, be stripped of the title or even relegated from the Premier League.
In 2020, they were banned from the Champions League for two years by UEFA for overreporting sponsorship income between 2012 and 2016, but successfully appealed to CAS.
Last season, Everton and Nottingham Forest had points deducted for PSR breaches, although Leicester avoided this after winning an appeal against the Premier League.
What did Manchester City say?
In 2023, the club said they were surprised by the allegations announced by the league, adding: “The club welcomes a review of the matter by an independent committee so that it can be considered impartially, supported by a wide range of irrefutable evidence.”
On Friday, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he was awaiting a decision.
“It will start soon and (hopefully) end soon. An independent panel will decide and I am waiting for the verdict… Everyone is innocent until proven guilty,” the Spanish national said.
