The wait for a verdict in the Premier League’s case against Manchester City continues, with Aston Villa one of the sides looking on with interest. The charges against the reigning Premier League champions first emerged back in February 2023.
Man City have been charged with 115 alleged breaches of the league’s financial rules, including the club failing to provide accurate financial information and failing to cooperate with investigations. The club vehemently deny the allegations with the case being heard in front of an independent panel.
The case concluded at the end of the year, with the wait for the verdict continuing. Should City be found guilty then punishments could include a big points deduction or even expulsion from the league.
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It’s something that Villa and their fellow Premier League rivals will be watching closely over the next few weeks. Here is the latest on the charges against City.
New verdict delivered
Former vice chairman of Arsenal and one of the Premier League’s founding fathers, David Dein, has now delivered his verdict on the charges around Man City and the situation around PSR.
“I am very uncomfortable with the bickering that is going on at the moment, much of it over Financial Fair Play. I want to see the children playing nicely in the playground,” he told the Times .
“At the moment it’s not happening. Whatever little I can do to ameliorate that situation, I am happy to do.
“Personally I think the rules as they are now should be scrapped and we should start again with a new formula. At the moment it is not working. Man City recently had a case against the Premier League which they won. Now there’s going to be another case, and after that we will have the decision on the 115 charges.
“Every club that goes to a Premier League meeting now brings a lawyer with them. I watched the Liverpool v Aston Villa game recently and it was a fantastic advert for the game. I want people talking about the football, not swamped by legal issues. You’ve got the league taking action against their own members, that doesn’t sit well with me. I know the game has moved on from the time when I would have blazing rows with Ken Bates or Ron Noades or Sam Hammam [the former owners of Chelsea, Crystal Palace, and Wimbledon and Cardiff City respectively] and afterwards we would have a cup of tea and shake hands.”
When asked if he would like a general amnesty, and for everyone to start again under new rules, he said: “That’s what I would do. “That’s what I think it needs but the legal action has a life of its own now and it is taking up a lot of Premier League time. It is costing the league £50million and I would rather see that money going into grassroots football. What’s happening is crazy.”
Richard Masters comments
Premier League chief Richard Masters has commented on the case, brushing off claims that bringing the charges against Man City has damaged the competition.
“There is no happy alternative to enforcing the rules," he told the Financial Times. “The Premier League will survive the impact of all of this and come through it.
“The broadcast partners, fans around the world, our new sponsors have great confidence in the Premier League.”
Huge points deduction
Speaking on the Tear Us Apart podcast, via the Mirror , last month, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has said that Man City will face a huge points deduction if found guilty.
“It has to be a points deduction – if found guilty,” he said. "We are looking at a points deduction somewhere in the region of 60 to 100 points.
“The other thing that would happen is that the board of directors at Manchester City effectively would be proven to be liars and misrepresenting the state of the football club to the authorities; I don't see how they can keep their jobs. Certainly we saw in the case of Juventus, who have done something similar [to what City are charged with] that the whole board of directors had to resign.”
Pep Guardiola hint
Man City manager Pep Guardiola has previously hinted that we could expect a final verdict on the case sometime this month. Speaking back in February, the Spaniard said: “In one month, I think there will be a verdict and a sentence. After that, we will see my opinion of what happened so far.”
