The long-awaited hearing into Manchester City’s 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules will reportedly begin in September, two months earlier than expected, with an outcome expected by the end of the 2024-25 season.
An independent commission is now expected to begin to hear the case in mid-to-late September barring further legal delays, per The Times, while ESPN reports that the start date could be Sept. 16, four weeks into the Premier League season. The hearing is scheduled to take place over the span of 10 weeks and the members of the commission are expected to deliver their verdict in early 2025.
The independent commission’s hearing is the focal point 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 matter. City separately filed a lawsuit contesting the Premier League’s associated party transaction rules, which are intended to ensure that clubs sign sponsorship deals that reflect a 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 allow the independent commission’s hearing to start even earlier.
The Premier League initially opened an investigation into Manchester City’s potential financial breaches in 2018, shortly after German outlet Der Spiegel published documents revealing possible financial misdeeds by the club. UEFA banned City from European play for two years in 2019 but the Court of Arbitration for Sport quickly overruled the decision following an appeal. City were finally charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules in February 2023, with the club and the league quietly engaging in a legal back-and-forth 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 probe since 2018. The accusations include an inability 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 from 2015 to 2018. Player and manager remuneration during that period is 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 their first since the Abu Dhabi United Group, a United Arab Emirates private equity company owned by royal family member Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, completed a takeover of the club in 2008.
It is unclear what level of punishment City could face if they are found to have breached the Premier League’s financial rules, but many have advocated for harsh punishment. The case will no doubt linger over City as they aim to win a fifth Premier League title in a row this season, and has already clouded their accomplishments — which include their first UEFA Champions League victory — since the charges became public knowledge last year.
