Manchester City & Premier League agree trial date

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Daily Cannon

·30 November 2023

Manchester City & Premier League agree trial date

Manchester City and the Premier League have agreed a date for their trial on 115 financial charges, giving us a hint at the potential timing for a verdict.

Earlier this year, the Premier League confirmed they were charging Manchester City on 115 different counts, with the charges to be judged by an independent panel.

The Daily Mail report that we finally have a date for the trial, with the Premier League and Manchester City agreeing on an initial schedule of late Autumn 2024 – just under a year from now.

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The Mail add that a verdict may not be reached until the end of the 2024/25 season, with the expectation that it will arrive in the summer of 2025.

But it may take even longer for any potential punishment to be confirmed. There could be delays along the way, and City or the Premier League will likely appeal the verdict, depending on its outcome.

City deny any wrongdoing, but they could face heavy punishments if found guilty. Everton were recently charged with one financial rule breach, and they were handed a 10-point deduction.

If even half of City’s 115 breaches were proven, you’d expect a significantly worse punishment for them.

In Everton’s statement on their point deduction, they said: “The club will also monitor with great interest the decisions made in any other cases concerning the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.”

In the Premier League’s initial statement, they outlined the rules that had allegedly been breached by City:

“Provision…in the utmost good faith, of accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position, in particular with respect to its revenue (including sponsorship revenue), its related parties and its operating costs”
The requirement of a Premier League club “to include full details of manager remuneration in its relevant contracts with its manager” and “full details of player remuneration in its relevant contracts with its players”
The requirement of a Premier League club “to comply with UEFA’s regulations, including UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations”
The requirement to adhere to rules on “profitability and sustainability”
The requirement to “cooperate with, and assist, the Premier League in its investigations, including by providing documents and information to the Premier League in the utmost good faith”

The dates of said alleged breaches range from 2009/10 to 2022/23.

The Premier League then wrote that they’d make no further comment until the results of the trial were available.