THE hearing into the Premier League’s charges against Manchester City has concluded, according to reports.
City were slapped with a whopping 115 charges over alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play rules back in February.
City have vehemently denied the charges and have been fighting their corner at London‘s International Dispute Resolution Centre since mid-September.
But according to reports, the hearing has come to a close.
That’s according to The Daily Mail, who claim both parties have made their closing arguments.
A three-man panel will now go away and deliberate the evidence before delivering the verdict anticipated around the world.
But it won’t come any time soon due to the sheer scale of the evidence involved.
It could take MONTHS before the Premier League giants learn their fate.
City’s alleged rule breaking is said to have taken place over a 14-YEAR period.
They were initially hit with 115 charges, although they were increased to 130 following an an administration issue.
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MAN CITY began the season as favourites to win the Premier League title yet again – but there is one elephant in the room that threatens to put the skids under the Etihad giants.
Sunsport’s MARTIN LIPTON discusses what the next few months could hold with Head of Sport SHAUN CUSTIS….
Custis: So the big question – will there be a resolution this season?
Lipton: Yes…. probably! It will take at least a month to go through the evidence. So I suspect around March, April time, we will get a result. But that’s where it starts to get tricky.
Custis: Why is that?
Lipton: If the result is in City’s favour, that’s the end of the matter. They will be cleared. They will have no punishment to face.
But if City are found guilty, these will be the heaviest penalties ever imposed by the Premier League.
I suspect if they are found guilty, they will be expelled from the league or given a massive points deduction and a huge fine so that they’re not in the Premier League next season.
Check out the full discussion on Man City’s future.
City have been accused of failing to accurately report their finances over a nine-year period from 2009-10 and 2017-18.
It’s also alleged they failed to provide all the details about former manager Roberto Mancini‘s pay packets between 2009-10 and 2012-13.
The charges also relate to their alleged failure to disclose full player salaries between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
In addition to their alleged financial wrongdoings, City have been accused of failing to co-operate with the Prem’s investigation.
The investigation only began after the material alleging the club’s breach of the rules was published in Germanmagazine Der Spiegel in 2018.
If found guilty, City could be hit with huge financial penalties and a points deducation.
They could also be RELEGATED if they’re found to have committed the most serious charges.
The club will likely appeal any verdict which doesn’t go their way, meaning the final decision may not be made until the end of NEXT SEASON.
City have repeatedly denied the allegations since they were first published and recently stated they have “irrefutable evidence” to exonerate themselves on any wrongdoing.
The Etihad club have stated they’re looking “forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”
Pep Guardiola‘s troops will be back in action on Wednesday night, travelling to Turin to take on Italian giants Juventus in the Champions League.
