Manchester City weeks away from long-awaited verdict on 115 charges

Manchester City could learn the verdict on their 115 Premier League charges as early as next week.

That is the view of football finance expert and regular talkSPORT guest Stefan Borson.

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However, a decision may still be weeks away, with the wait potentially extending into June, Borson admits.

City were charged by the Premier League with 115 alleged breaches of their Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules in February 2023.

The club were accused of breaching the rules between 2009 and 2018, with a further 15 charges later tacked on.

During that period, City won three of their eight Premier League titles.

Those alleged offences relate to not providing accurate financial information, failing to comply with UEFA’s FFP rules and not disclosing manager compensation.

Of the 130 total charges, 35 are related to not cooperating with the Premier League’s investigation.

A hearing was subsequently held between September and December 2024, but a verdict has yet to be announced.

With the Premier League season concluding on Sunday, Borson has now provided an update on when a decision could arrive.

When could City verdict arrive?

Speaking to White and Jordan on Thursday, Borson explained: “Lord Pannick, who at some point is going to have to read, let’s say, 500 to 800 pages of a decision about 115 (charges), he was busy on Southampton last night.

“So he’s clearly got a bit of time in his diary and therefore you would think he has not got his draft decision yet from the panel and he still awaits that before he can start reading through that and advising the club on the next steps.

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“As I say, I think it will come as soon as the season finishes, within a reasonable amount of time after the season finishes.”

Lord Pannick has once again been hired to assist City with their case against the Premier League.

The barrister has a long-standing relationship with the club having previously working with them on cases against UEFA.

With the league season ending this weekend, Jim White then asked Borson if a decision could come as early as next week.

He responded: “Yes, well I think into June, early June I would think, but that’s a guess.”

Providing further explanation, Borson added: “Just to be clear, I don’t express to know.

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“The best we can do is base it on the knowledge that we have from the parties, noises, try and read between the lines and also look at the maximum it can take for a decision.

“There are almost no decisions that have taken longer than 18 months in British legal history.”

City were first charged with the initial 115 charges by the Premier League over three years.

Meanwhile, it is now 17 months since the conclusion of the hearing into the charges.