England's Manchester City have said they are close to finalising "substantial elements" of their legal dispute with the Premier League, amid reports that the club has been found guilty of almost all charges of breaching the league's financial rules.
According to multiple reports, the club has been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges brought by the league in February 2023 - charges the club has always strongly denied.
The Premier League declined to comment, while a City spokesman said: “The Premier League process is ongoing, important stages of it are yet to be completed and is subject to strict confidentiality. Manchester City's position therefore remains unchanged from the club's statement of February 2023. The club has followed the established procedures in good faith for eight years, relying on the management and executive bodies of the Premier League to act as an independent, impartial and fair regulator, free from bias.“
These “essential elements“ undoubtedly include the possibility of appeal in the event of a conviction against City, with the club having already successfully overturned a two-year ban imposed by UEFA from participating in European club competitions after an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, writes the DPA agency.
Decisions have not yet been made on any sanctions in the Premier League case, but if the decision of the independent commission is upheld, they can be expected to be extremely harsh given the nature of the alleged violations. When City's case was referred to the commission in February 2023, the team was in the midst of its campaign to win the third of four consecutive Premier League titles.
The investigation, which ultimately led to the laying of more than 100 charges, began in 2018.
Manchester City was accused of failing to provide accurate financial information for nine seasons (from 2009/2010 to 2017/2018), as well as failing to provide full details of the remuneration of former manager Roberto Mancini between the 2009/2010 and 2012/2013 seasons. The club was also accused of failing to provide full information on player wages for the 2010/11 to 2015/16 seasons, and of failing to cooperate with the Premier League investigation into the 2018-2023 period.
When the charges were brought, the English club said it welcomed the opportunity for a panel to "impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence supporting our position."
Four months after the charges were brought, City won the Champions League for the first time in their history. The hearing before the panel began on 16 September 2024 and ended in December of that year.