After almost two years of waiting, Manchester City’s court hearing has officially begun. The hearing, which started on September 16, is being held by an independent commission of three judges appointed by the Premier League’s judicial panel. A verdict is expected to arrive after around ten weeks, although there could be a delay that drags the verdict out until early 2025.
Manchester City 115 FFP Charges: Explained
Manchester City is facing a total of 115 FFP charges, relating to the period between 2009 and 2018. Essentially, City is being accused of breaking financial fair play rules over this nine-year period, which was the first decade in charge of the club for City Football Group and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
A guilty verdict would tarnish City’s dominance since the takeover and overshadow everything that the club has achieved, from x8 Premier Leagues to x2 FA Cups, which is ultimately why there’s so much attention on the court case.
- 80 charges are for breaches of regulations
- 35 charges are for failing to cooperate with the Premier League during its investigation
Not much information is publicly known about the specific charges, but one of the specific rule breaches is due to City not disclosing the true amount of money that was paid to former manager Roberto Mancini over a four-year period.
In simple terms, City is accused of having a secret contract with Mancini where they paid him more than double what was officially stated, with the end goal likely being so that they could stay within FFP rules during a time period where the club was spending huge amounts of money on transfers, contracts, and infrastructure.
If these allegations are true, it means that City has broken FFP rules, given themselves an unfair advantage over other clubs, and tried to hide the fact that they’ve done this in the process. Not only does this negatively impact the wider football world, but it also damages the reputation of the Premier League, as fans will now look at the trophies that City has won and view them as void. The whole court case is threatening to overshadow over a decade of Premier League football, which isn’t a good look for any party.
City is “Surprised” By the Charges — But What Happens if the Club is Found Guilty?
When the charges were announced against Man. City back in February 2023, City responded in an official statement claiming to be “surprised” by what the Premier League had done. However, the general expectation is that City will be found guilty in some shape or form. If this happens, it means the Blues will face a range of potential punishments, which could include:
- Relegation from the Premier League
- A huge points deduction
- An unlimited fine
The most shocking of the potential punishments would be relegation from the Premier League, which has the potential to send shockwaves through the football world. And according to sports betting industry experts BettingTools.com, City currently has odds of 12/1 to be relegated from the Premier League.
Although this means the overriding belief is that they will not be relegated, sportsbooks still acknowledge there is a respectable chance that it could happen. Or, if City is not relegated, they will likely at least receive a points deduction, which would open the door for either Arsenal or Liverpool to win a controversial Premier League title at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
What a Manchester City Relegation Could Look Like
In the case that Manchester City is relegated from the Premier League, the fallout from this would be huge. Firstly, it would almost certainly mean that Pep Guardiola leaves the club, with his current contract set to expire in the summer of 2025. On top of this, almost all of City’s star players, including the likes of Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, would also leave the club due to having no other option.
Then, there would be the small matter of deciding what happens to the three clubs who would traditionally be relegated at the end of the season. If City is going down, too, then this would likely mean that the 18th-placed team in the table would survive on a technicality, with City taking their place instead.
Another major point of discussion surrounds what would happen to City’s trophy cabinet. Since 2008, the club has dominated domestic football and won a total of 8 Premier League titles. Will these titles be made void? Or will they still stand? These are questions that both the media and fans continue to ask — but nobody knows for sure what is going to happen yet.
The chances, though, are that City’s titles will still remain official. However, fans will no longer view them as legitimate and City’s fifteen years under the control of Sheikh Mansour and the City Football Group will be tarnished.
Of course, there is also still a strong chance that City will be found innocent. After all, the club has the best lawyers that money can buy and a proven track record at finding legal loopholes. Therefore, fans shouldn’t be too surprised if City is found innocent come next year, which would no doubt be disappointing news for supporters of the other Premier League clubs, with many of them holding the belief that City have done more good than bad for the domestic game.
Conclusion
The verdict for Manchester City’s 115 FFP charges is set to arrive in November this year. Like with many court hearings, there’s a strong chance that the final verdict could be delayed to early 2025, which many figures in the media believe could happen. However, even if there is a delay, the verdict is almost guaranteed to arrive before the end of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, meaning City’s potential punishments would be inflicted before the end of the season.