Senior Premier League figures are said to be expecting a decision over Manchester City's 115 charges to land at some point this month. A 12-week hearing started in September 2024, and a decision is still under wraps.
City stood accused of 115 alleged breaches of financial rules over a nine-year period, spanning from 2009, following the takeover by Abu Dhabi United Group, to 2018. The club has maintained its innocence on all counts throughout the process.
City had a variety of charges made against them, including 54 counts of failure to provide accurate financial information from 2009-10 to 2017-18, plus failure to provide accurate details for player and manager payments across the same period. Other charges relate to UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules and the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules.
The charges were first made in 2023, and there has been a long wait for a result. The vast number of accusations and their severity are the primary reasons the case has dragged on for so long - but that wait is expected to soon end, per the Independent.
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The process has been shrouded in a degree of mystery. Premier League CEO Richard Masters has been put on the spot numerous times but refused to provide any details. In July 2025, Masters told NBC: "You can ask but our rules are very clear, it's a confidential process so I can't give any information on timing or anything like that," adding, "I can't add anything on that."
And after former Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy criticised the length of the process, Masters said: "The only point where I can speak publicly about it is when a decision has been handed down."
He concluded: "I can't speculate about why or when, that's all I can say really. Daniel is not in the same position as me and I can't talk about it."
When the charges were made public in 2023, City staunchly defended themselves. The expressed their surprise and welcomed the independent commission. The Premier League side claimed to have a "comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" as they stated their innocence. "As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all," a club statement read.
City boss Pep Guardiola has previously stated he would remain with the club regardless of the outcome. "I said six months ago, one year ago when all the clubs accused us of having done something - what happened if you got relegated? I will be here," he said.
"I don't know the position of the conference they're going to bring us, we're going to come up and come up, we're going to come back to the Premier League. I knew it then, I feel it now."
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