'Trusted sources' reveal verdict as 'next week' announcement claim is made

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Everything points to Man City “doing quite well” in their 115-charge financial fair play case, according to a former Premier League CEO.

An independent commission hearing to examine 115 charges laid by the Premier League against Man City started in September and ended in December.

The Premier League opened an investigation into Man City way back in 2018 and after a number of legal delays, charges were finally laid in February 2023 and the club were referred to an independent commission.

The charges against the Citizens relate to the requirement to accurately report financial information, including around the value of sponsorship deals, the submission of details of manager and player pay information and to a club’s responsibility as a Premier League member to adhere to UEFA’s financial regulations and to the league’s own profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

They are also accused of failing to co-operate with the league’s investigation. In all, there are charges relating to every season between 2009-10 and 2022-23.

A verdict could come at any time and former Everton CEO Keith Wyness insists that sources he trusts have told him that Man City are likely to do “quite well in this case”.

Wyness told Football Insider: “All the rumours and there’s both sides of the rumour mill are going strongly that Man City are gonna escape, that there’s a settlement being done behind the scenes – to the Premier League may well win.

“So right now you just pick your rumour and see where it goes. My own gut feeling and the sources that I’ve been trusting so far would tend towards City doing quite well in this case. But I don’t think both parties will come out of it unscathed. Let’s just wait and see.”

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Wyness’ comments on a potential verdict come a day after former Man City financial advisor Stefan Borson gave his view on when the outcome of the case could be revealed.

Borson told Football Insider: “I do think the Premier League and City to an extent could have done a better job.

“I think this could have been agreed with all the parties. I have said it right from the start there should have been a published timetable, at least with estimates as to when we can expect the hearing itself, the decision to come out, the next phase, and the explanation of what the process is.

“At the moment, what you’ve got is a situation where it might happen at any point. Something that’s very significant not just to the future of football but to the future of Manchester City employees because you would think that, if a lot of this stuff goes against City, then there would have to be some adjustments to City’s cost base, which as we know from what’s happened at United can involve real people and real jobs.

“I don’t think it’s been well handled in that respect and I don’t think that there was a particular problem in giving a bit more guidance as to when we could expect the decision to come out.

“We sit here today thinking this week would have been a possible time to release it. Next week could be a possible time to release it. But equally, it is perfectly plausible that this doesn’t come out until the summer or even later, so we really don’t know.

“I can tell you from lots of conversations I’ve had over the last week, nobody knows. This is a very well-kept secret, and nobody has got any indication of definitively when it’s coming. Nobody believes that it’s close because of things they’ve heard.

“That’s not to say it won’t come today. It may come today, but if it is coming today, it’s not because two or three people in the media or close to the club have heard it’s really close. It will just drop.

“It doesn’t feel like the best way of doing things from the Premier League and City’s perspective, but that’s the process we have. That’s what we thought we were going to get. That’s where we are.”

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