Why Man City face 115 charges and what it means the Premier League is now in a 'civil war' over a separate sponsorship win

The long-awaited Premier League hearing into Manchester City's alleged Financial Fair Play breaches is now underway.

A process to investigate the English club's financial dealings between 2009 and 2018 has been under discussion for some time, but the process has officially begun, meaning we are at the end of this situation.

pep guardiola''s side, who deny all charges against them, claimed a fourth consecutive top-flight title in May and are seeking a fifth, but a cloud hangs over their continued success.

City, whose last title was the sixth in seven years, were charged by the Premier League More than a year and a half ago, in February 2023.

Since then, the investigation has not concluded but Everton and Nottingham Forest has been punished for minor crimes.

The Premier League has argued that City's case is different due to the depth, scale and complexity of the charges, and the hearing is expected to last ten weeks.

The latest on the Manchester City audience

There have been no major updates on this specific hearing yet, but Man City have scored two big wins in separate cases.

The club seemed to have achieved an important victory in September after the Premier League. decided to abandon a planned vote about third party transaction rules.

and now they have won a big case against the top flight when it comes to sponsorship deals they were prevented from making earlier this year.

The city took legal action against the league over associated party transaction (APT) rules, arguing they were anti-competitive and have now been declared illegal by an independent panel.

As mentioned above, this No has some bearing on the 115 charges, but could indicate how the hearing on them might now unfold.

Respected sports journalist Matt Lawton told talkSPORT: “It's certainly the same territory (as the 115 charge hearing).

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“Many of these allegations relate to sponsorship rules and, in particular, companies linked to the owners of Manchester City.

“I think what people will point out is that the APT rules they opposed did not come into effect until 2021 and the 115 charges relate to situations before that and previous seasons.

“But you would have to think that if there is now an issue with the rules around sponsorship deals, that will surely have an impact, but how that plays out is yet to be determined because that hearing is ongoing.

“It's the same legal team fighting both cases, so what it does say is that the City has good lawyers, right?

“This was the first area of ​​battle and, although the Premier League is slightly contesting it, City are claiming victory here.”

When asked how he sees the situation surrounding Manchester City and the league at the moment, Lawton continued: “Right now the Premier League is in a civil war. It's very messy, this is not a good place.

“Although we enjoy watching football on Saturdays and Sundays, there is a lot of friction here.

“Eight or nine clubs testified in this particular case in support of the Premier League. The clubs are divided.

“It's a complicated situation and the consequences of this are shareholder loans – if you're Arsenal with over £200m in shareholder loans this is a worrying development.”

Below is an in-depth look at why the hearing on 115 charges is taking place and what the results could be for Man City…

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Why are Man City facing more than 100 charges?

Manchester City has been accused of violating FFP rules about 100 times for nine years, from 2009 to 2018.

His alleged crimes coincided with the club's growth into the dominant force in English football.

City won the Premier League three times during that period: in 2012, 2014 and 2018.

Their charges range from failing to provide accurate financial information, failing to comply with UEFAof the FFP rules and not disclosing the remuneration of managers.

However, not all relate to financial issues: 35 relate to allegedly failing to co-operate with the Premier League investigation.

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Why Manchester City faces 130 charges

It has been widely reported that City face 115 charges, but the real number is 130 because the Premier League made an initial mistake in publishing its findings.

Therefore, these additional charges are not new and are additions to the ones we all know.

The confusion comes from some of the alleged rule violations not being associated with particular seasons.

Therefore, some of the existing positions have been divided into new ones, but we do not know what categories they fit into, and that information is not public knowledge.

Charges explained

While the noncompliance offenses are self-explanatory, the first alleged noncompliance is the noncompliance for which the City faces the most charges.

Each Premier League club subscribes to a compliance code, which involves providing the league with accurate and up-to-date accounts.

The city, however, has been accused of inflate the value of your sponsorship which allowed the owner sheikh mansur to inject more money into the club.

Other charges include failing to provide accurate financial reports for player and coach compensation.

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The latter refers to the former Manchester City coach. Roberto Manciniwho had allegedly been paid more than £1 million annually in consultancy fees to Al Jazira in Abu Dhabi, in addition to his declared salary.

These alleged hidden payments were also said to have been awarded to players signed during that period, theoretically allowing City to build the foundations of success upon which Guardiola took over in 2016.

Citizens were fined around £27 million for alleged FFP violations by UEFA and imposed a two-year ban in 2020, which was later annulled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the money was reduced to £10 million.

The panel found that some alleged violations were time-barred; The most important thing is that the Premier League investigation does NOT include a prescription.

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Testing process

Proceedings involving the Premier League and Man City began on Monday, September 16.

The formal hearing with the independent commission can last up to ten weeks due to the complexity of the case and the depth of both sides' legal arguments.

But even once the hearing is over, the three-person panel overseeing the process must issue its verdict, which will likely be a document hundreds of pages long.

This is not expected until March next year.

Whatever happens, the decision cannot be taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

However, the club or the league could file an appeal, so there would be a new hearing.

So even though the case is starting, it could still be a long time until there is a clear verdict due to the appeal process.

What does it mean for your future?

A series of sanctions could be imposed on the current champions should they be found guilty of any or all of the charges.

A substantial fine or a point deduction It would seem most likely, but City could also be expelled from the Premier League.

Other possible Premier League punishments include a transfer ban, which Chelsea experimented in 2019.

Similarly, spending limits could be imposed on City, who have spent £1.53 billion on players over the last ten years.

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The Manchester club could even face relegation, although former City financial advisor Stefan Borson He explained that this is unlikely.

He told talkSPORT: “There can be no doubt that, if these charges are proven, this will end in at least relegation.

“There is a suggestion of a conspiracy over, effectively, a ten-year period.

“If proven, this is very serious. No one would argue with that. The city will say, I promise you, that this is an accusation of the most serious nature.

“It seems to me very unlikely that the alleged conduct took place over a ten-year period with the type of people who are involved in the club and the companies involved.

“It will be a huge call for any court or tribunal to suggest that this number of people have been dishonest and committed perjury.

“That would be a massive call for some KCs and perhaps a former financial director of a football club to make a call not only against city ​​of manchesterbut against numerous executives, against third parties and, of course, against potentially high-ranking members of foreign states.