Manchester City's Premier League disciplinary charges remain unresolved three years on, with no end in sight.
The league first announced charges against the champions in 2022, alleging they had failed to provide accurate financial information and cooperate with an investigation into their spending. The estimated 134 charges, which cover a range of alleged wrongdoing over several years, have been met with silence from both parties, with neither side wishing to prejudice an outcome or put pressure on the independent panel hearing the case.
Despite the hearings finishing in December last year, no verdict has been announced, sparking speculation about when one will come. The reasons for this are clear: any update would be premature and potentially undermine the integrity of the process. However, the lack of information from either party has led to a flood of speculation, with accusations ranging from a cover-up to claims that the process has been botched.
The delay has also raised questions about why it's taken so long. The hearing panel is believed to be conducting an exhaustive review of each piece of evidence, but this excuse may not hold for much longer as the case remains unresolved. Some are even suggesting that the delay could be due to the panel members needing to return to their day jobs.
The Premier League's disciplinary system has also been called into question, with some arguing that it needs to match the natural rhythm of the sport and resolve cases quickly. This was highlighted in 2023 when changes were made to ensure charges related to profitability and sustainability breaches were resolved "in-season".
The situation is complex, with the league under scrutiny over the City case. Pressure on its chief executive, Richard Masters, was intense during the hearings, but it appears that his position has been bolstered since then. The mood among shareholder clubs has also changed, with some feeling fatigue and a sense of apathy towards the whole process.
Ultimately, the outcome of the case is still unknown, but one thing is certain: if City are found guilty on some charges, but not others, any sanction will need to be tangible but not transformative. The nature and scale of this case has never been seen before in English football, and it remains to be seen what impact it will have on the foundations of the Premier League as a competition.
The league first announced charges against the champions in 2022, alleging they had failed to provide accurate financial information and cooperate with an investigation into their spending. The estimated 134 charges, which cover a range of alleged wrongdoing over several years, have been met with silence from both parties, with neither side wishing to prejudice an outcome or put pressure on the independent panel hearing the case.
Despite the hearings finishing in December last year, no verdict has been announced, sparking speculation about when one will come. The reasons for this are clear: any update would be premature and potentially undermine the integrity of the process. However, the lack of information from either party has led to a flood of speculation, with accusations ranging from a cover-up to claims that the process has been botched.
The delay has also raised questions about why it's taken so long. The hearing panel is believed to be conducting an exhaustive review of each piece of evidence, but this excuse may not hold for much longer as the case remains unresolved. Some are even suggesting that the delay could be due to the panel members needing to return to their day jobs.
The Premier League's disciplinary system has also been called into question, with some arguing that it needs to match the natural rhythm of the sport and resolve cases quickly. This was highlighted in 2023 when changes were made to ensure charges related to profitability and sustainability breaches were resolved "in-season".
The situation is complex, with the league under scrutiny over the City case. Pressure on its chief executive, Richard Masters, was intense during the hearings, but it appears that his position has been bolstered since then. The mood among shareholder clubs has also changed, with some feeling fatigue and a sense of apathy towards the whole process.
Ultimately, the outcome of the case is still unknown, but one thing is certain: if City are found guilty on some charges, but not others, any sanction will need to be tangible but not transformative. The nature and scale of this case has never been seen before in English football, and it remains to be seen what impact it will have on the foundations of the Premier League as a competition.
This whole thing with Manchester City is just crazy man... 3 years and still no verdict?! 
It's like they're trying to string us along or something. I mean, I get that they don't want to prejudge the outcome, but come on, we've been waiting long enough! 
The speculation alone is giving me anxiety lol.
It's got to be something more.
And it's not like City's been trying to hide anything (or so they claim lol). This whole situation just feels like a big mess.
also gotta wonder if there's some behind-the-scenes stuff going on that we're not aware of 
.
I mean, we're already in 2025 and still no verdict! What's going on behind closed doors? 
They need to make some changes so these cases aren't dragged out for years. Maybe they can learn from other sports leagues that have more streamlined processes?
. The longer Manchester City waits for their charges to be resolved, the more speculation and doubt creeps in 
.
. The more time that passes without a resolution, the harder it becomes to get everything sorted out 
.
. Is this process really serving the sport, or is it more of a bureaucratic headache 
? It's time to have an open and honest conversation about how we can improve things without creating even more uncertainty 
.
meanwhile city is just sitting there, quietly waiting for everything to blow over 
and if they do get found guilty, a slap on the wrist won't cut it 
they need some real consequences for their actions. it's like the premier league is too busy being 'fair' that it forgets about the fans who are actually getting affected by all this 
.
right now, its like watching a soap opera 
. anyone think citys financial records would be so shady if they were a smaller team? 
seriously though, what's going on here? 
is it just too big to tackle or is the league being held hostage by these charges? 
. It's like they're trying to stall or something. And yeah, the delay has raised some serious eyebrows - it's not like there aren't enough people around to get this done ASAP 
!