Pep Guardiola has predicted that Manchester City will hear the results of an investigation into their 130 charges of alleged financial misconduct in either February or March.
The Spanish manager had been responding to a question about whether the ongoing legal process would limit the Sky Blues’ ability to sign top talents in the meantime.
“I don’t know. It’s going to happen in winter time. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I know the people are expecting that but I don’t know. In February, March, [maybe] will be the sentence,” the 53-year-old was quoted by The Guardian.
City currently find themselves outside of the top four spots in fifth having secured only one Premier League win in their last six games in the competition.
Pep Guardiola says he believes Man City will hear around February or March 2025 about 115 charges. pic.twitter.com/qLq9HZRTzn
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 20, 2024
Barring a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest in early December, the incumbent league champions haven’t won a single game in all competitions since a 1-0 victory over Southampton on October 26.
To say that today’s trip to Villa Park is an important meeting for the club would be an understatement of epic proportions.
A hearing into the alleged breaches of the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play rules – taking place between a period spanning nine years from 2009-2018 – concluded earlier this December.
It’s now understood that a panel is considering the hearing’s verdict, with a decision expected to arrive in the coming year.
The confusion over the number of charges relating to the case is thought to have arisen from some issues with the Premier League’s reporting process.
54 of these alleged breaches are understood to have been directed at City’s failure to provide accurate financial information between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons. In more recent years, specifically between 2018-2023, 35 charges were levelled against Manchester City for not cooperating with Premier League investigations.
It remains to be seen what kind of outcome Pep Guardiola’s men will be handed, but it’s fair to expect City to seriously protest any kind of sanction thrown their way.
In all likelihood, this means the case will surely drag on well into 2025 – a frustrating eventuality to contend with for Premier League outfits hoping to see justice done.
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