Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has admitted he is still unsure when a final verdict will be reached on Manchester City's 115 alleged charges. City have been charged with breaching financial regulations over a nine-year period, starting in 2009 following the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover and running through to 2018.
Disciplinary hearing concluded, verdict pending
A three-person independent commission, which began in September 2024, ran for three months, with a ruling expected to be made public before the end of that season. But City are still awaiting their fate, almost 18 months after the disciplinary hearing was wrapped up.
The prolonged wait has left supporters frustrated, with those desperate for clarity on the situation, although Masters is unable to reveal when the independent commission will reach its final judgement.
Masters: 'I simply can't provide that'
"I do accept it's taking longer than expected, and I understand that people want to find out as soon as possible what's going on, but I simply can't provide that," Masters told the BBC. "Our rules are very clear - we have to follow the process, and there's only one real clear route through, which is to allow that process to reach its natural conclusion."
Breakdown of the 115 alleged breaches
City continue to protest their innocence. Amongst the alleged 115 breaches, City were initially charged with 54 counts of failing to supply accurate financial information between 2009/10 and 2017/18. They are also alleged to have failed to provide accurate details regarding player and manager payments on 14 occasions across the same period.
City have received five charges relating to their failure to comply with UEFA regulations, including Financial Fair Play (FFP), spanning from 2013/14 to 2017/18. A further seven charges concern breaches of the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) rules between 2015/16 and 2017/18, while the remaining 35 alleged charges relate to a failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 through to February 2023.
New manager's response
Enzo Maresca, appointed as Pep Guardiola's successor at the Etihad Stadium in June, was quizzed about City's wait for a resolution shortly after taking the role. "No, no, to be honest," he said regarding the 115 alleged charges confronting City, before continuing: "The only thing I can say is that three years ago, the treble season, I was here. And there were the same words about this kind of problem.
"In three years, it's still the same, so nothing happened. I don't have anything to say because it's something that is there. But again, the only thing I can say is that the way the organisation is working is to show how serious they are, how good they are, bringing titles and more things."
