The long-awaited hearing into Manchester City’s 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules will reportedly begin in September, two months earlier than expected, with an expected outcome by the end of the 2024-2025 season.
An independent commission is now expected to hear the case in mid to late September, barring further legal delays. according to De Tijdwhile ESPN reports that the start date could be September 16, four weeks after the start of the Premier League season. The hearing is expected to take place in ten weeks and committee members are expected to make their ruling in early 2025.
The independent commission hearing is at the center of the case against City for financial breaches, but it is not the only legal battle between the club and the Premier League over the issue. City has separately filed a lawsuit challenging the Premier League’s transaction rules. These rules are intended to ensure that clubs sign sponsorship deals that reflect fair market value and are not inflated by partners with potential conflicts of interest. The outcome of that case is reportedly expected in the next two weeks, which could see the independent commission hearing begin even sooner.
The Premier League initially opened an investigation into Manchester City’s possible financial breaches in 2018, shortly after Germany’s Der Spiegel published documents revealing possible financial wrongdoing by the club. UEFA banned City from European competitions for two years in 2019, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport quickly overturned the decision after an appeal. City were eventually charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules in February 2023, with the club and the league quietly locked in a legal battle ever since.
The investigation focuses on City’s financial activities from 2009 to 2018, while the club has also been accused of failing to cooperate with the investigation since 2018. The allegations include the failure to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play rules from 2013 to 2018, as well as the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules from 2015 to 2018. Player and manager pay during that period will be also under scrutiny, including the contract of former manager Roberto Mancini. He was under contract from 2009 to 2013 and won the club’s first league title since 1968 – and the first since the Abu Dhabi United Group, a United Arab Emirates private equity firm owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the royal family. takeover of the club in 2008.
It is unclear what punishment City will face if they are found to have broken Premier League financial rules, but many have called for stiff penalties. The matter will undoubtedly stick with City as they look to win a fifth straight Premier League title this season, having already clouded their performances – including their first UEFA Champions League victory – since the allegations became public last year. .
