It does not matter where you are in the world, if you are a fan of English Premier League football you will have both heard of Manchester City, and also their incredibly controversial spending over the years.
The Etihad Stadium outfits achievements in recent years are clear for all to see, and their success under manager Pep Guardiola can only be described as both phenomenal and incredibly dominant. However, the defending Premier League champions have long had a proverbial elephant in the room and it has consistently overshadowed all of their achievements – not least their record breaking four straight domestic league titles.
That elephant is, of course, the pending 115 charges they face from the Premier League for allegedly breaching the financial Profit and Sustainability Rules that had been previously introduced, and for those who like a flutter The Punters Page would be a good start if you wanted to hedge your bets on the outcome here.
The PL investigation into Manchester City has rumbled on for years much to the annoyance of fans of other clubs who feel they have gamed the system to their own successful benefit.
However, after numerous delays, an independent hearing is set to finally begin on Monday to decide their fate, and sport’s ‘trial of the century’ is expected to last ten weeks, with a final verdict on the 115 charges coming in during the early part of 2025.
This legal dispute, and the potential ramifications for the game of football cannot be downplayed, as the consequences are potentially seismic depending on which way the judgement ultimately falls.
We are talking about one of the world’s most successful clubs, it goes back 14 full seasons, and they now have interests in a global network of 13 teams across five continents and are ultimately owned by a billionaire member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family.
The blowback of a defeat for City is almost unthinkable. 115 charges, spanning 14 years would not only have massive financial repercussions, we are talking points deductions, potential removal of titles, potential relegation or even a full expulsion from the top flight of the English game.
If the outcome against them is severe enough, it would not be unprecedented for them to have to start life back in League Two, but that would of course, be a very extreme outcome. Even just relegation or expulsion from the top flight would see follow up legal claims from other clubs, a possible squad decimation on contractual issues, and if you want to stretch the fall out far enough there could be political ramifications on a far wider scale.
On the other side, are the Premier League themselves and their whole approach to governing and regulating the multi billion game. Their very reputation and authority is now on the line, as do not forget, clubs have already faced financial penalties for PSR breaches, and last season points deductions came into play, so any defeat for the PL would be closely monitored by certain clubs that have already fallen foul of the regulations and that would lead to other consequences.
City have obviously always denied the charges and the PL have spent roughly six years in building their case, and both sides are believed to have already spent tens of millions in formulating their positions, so it really is make or break time now.
Neutrals will be fascinated as the ramifications could prove to be bigger and more meaningful than the trial itself in many ways.
Manchester City Are Finally Set For PL Judgment Day
City have obviously always denied the charges and the PL have spent roughly six years in building their case.
