Manchester City hearing into 115 alleged breaches could take place in September

Manchester City’s hearing into 115 alleged financial breaches could begin as early as next month, with the club possibly learning its fate early next year.

The most important case in Premier League history is due to be heard at the end of September, although further delays are possible.

By then, City will have the results of a separate anti-competitive arbitration hearing under the associated party transaction rules. In that case, City has already alleged that it is the victim of “discrimination” by rival clubs.

The long-awaited financial case against the City, to be heard by an independent panel, had originally been scheduled for October and November. It has now emerged that there will likely be a 10-week hearing period, with a potential verdict to be returned early next year.

The Times reports that the timetable for the case has now been brought forward to a likely start date in September. Manchester City and the Premier League have declined to comment on what they continue to describe as a confidential process.

Potential expulsion from the league is among the punishments available if the club is found guilty. The case cannot go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) but either side can appeal, prompting speculation the saga could take years to resolve.

The charges against City, who deny wrongdoing, include 54 failures to provide accurate financial information from 2009-10 to 2017-18, 14 failures to provide accurate details of payments to players and coaches from 2009-10 to 2017-18, five failures to comply with UEFA rules, including financial fair play (FFP), from 2013-14 to 2017-18, seven breaches of the Premier League’s PSR rules from 2015-16 to 2017-18 and 35 failures to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 to February 2023.

In a 2020 ruling, UEFA banned City from the Champions League for two seasons and fined them €30 million. However, the punishment was overturned by Cas.

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