In boardrooms and legal chambers that specialise in sports governance, the case has exercised minds for almost two years.
square FOOTBALL ExplainedWhat the charges against Man City are - and what the punishment could be
Read More
Now a verdict is close, with Guardiola himself saying he anticipated a verdict would arrive this month. Those with knowledge of the timeline of similar cases believe an initial finding by a three-man independent commission, which could run to hundreds of pages detailing the charges, could come “any day now”.
“I very much doubt it’ll be resolved this season,” Stefan Borson, an expert in legal and governance matters and former Manchester City advisor, tells The i Paper.
But all agree have coalesced on one thing: this verdict has the potential to shape the game for years to come.
Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak with Pep Guardiola after their title win last year (Photo: Getty)
Whether that’s strictly accurate is another thing: the Premier League and Manchester City locked horns over when to release the verdict on associated parties transactions. Given the scale and size of this case it could be a few days after both sides get the verdict that the public find out about it – assuming it doesn’t leak before then.
So, what if Man City win?
One word of caution: “total” exoneration feels “unlikely” to those who have spent time studying the case. Some of the charges relate to non-cooperation – refusing to comply with elements of the investigation – and those could be less difficult to prove. City, for their part, have always pointed out that the original Football Leaks revelations that prompted many of these charges were through illegal hacking.
“I don’t think the roof comes in straight away or anything, but it significantly weakens the Premier League’s hand on the rules. Would the whole financial fair play edifice be next?” they pondered.
The future of Premier League chief executive Richard Masters could come into question (Photo: Getty)“The Premier League’s authority has been challenged in recent seasons, both domestically and internationally,” he says.
The future of chief executive Richard Masters would surely come into sharp focus.
The Premier League’s lawyer, Adam Lewis KC, is a veteran of these proceedings who is known for going for harsh penalties.
Both Everton and Nottingham Forest were handed points deductions last season (Photo: Getty)
In one intriguing development it has emerged that should City be found to have committed the most serious breaches, it may be down to the remaining Premier League clubs to decide if they are relegated.
“The issue of whether Manchester City might be expelled from the Premier League is a complex one,” Aaryaman Banjeri, head of football governance at Lane Clark & Peacock, tells The i Paper.
Read Next
square FOOTBALL Sport AnalysisRead More
“This would require 15 clubs to vote in favour of expulsion. It will be instructive to see whether the Independent Commission is held to this requirement, or whether this might be worked around, so that the Commission can itself impose such a sanction.”
Is that the end of the matter?
It’s inconceivable that this doesn’t rumble on, unfortunately.
There’s simply too much at stake for either side to accept a heavy defeat. Having had time to read the written reasons document before it is made public, it’s likely that either side will announce an intention to appeal at the earliest opportunity.
Man City fans’ banner in honour of Lord David Pannick KC (Photo: Getty)“If City prevail, the Premier League will then have to make a decision: do they want to maintain their strident position to developments, seek an appeal or are they just going to accept it?” Borson says.
square FOOTBALL La Liga goes to war with Man City - why and what happens next?
Read More
“You would think that this is not the PR message the league organiser wants to be giving.
Experts also believe that after the fall-out from the APT cases a PR “war” – where both sides flag up areas where they are in the right – is a possibility. Although as Borson points out, given the depth into which the written verdict is expected to go it may be difficult to spin.
“I don’t think you can really deny that City are confident,” Borson says.
“There must be a reason for that level of confidence. I can’t see how, if you felt something very bad was coming, you wouldn’t be dealing with it in a more cautious way.
City extended Erling Haaland’s contract and then bought Omar Marmoush in January (Photo: Getty)
“It doesn’t mean they’re right – litigation is notoriously unpredictable – but they definitely think they are right.”
Read Next
square FOOTBALL Big ReadThe Godfather vs the Lord: How Man City's legal battle will be won and lost
Read More“I think both sides have come out of that commission, both sides know which way it’s going to land and both sides are moving accordingly,” he says.
“City have always operated as if it’s business as usual, with confidence. Last summer there was a theory they weren’t spending because of 130 but I didn’t believe that because City don’t work like that. They’re vehemently of the belief that they’ve done nothing wrong so why would they change the way they are?”
Whether confidence in their case is shared by the Premier League isn’t clear. Premier League chief executive Masters told The Financial Times he could say “not one word” on the case last week and the league has so far kept its counsel.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The Man City charges verdict is imminent – expect ‘carnage’ )
Also on site :