By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
There is still no sign of any decision in the long-running case against Manchester City FC (City), which faces 115 alleged breaches of financial rules, raising concerns in football circles about the length of time that it is taking to resolve the case.
An independent commission is still to publish its decision, more than 18 months after its lengthy hearing concluded, and three and a half years since City was charged with the alleged breaches and which City has always denied.
City are contesting the following alleged breaches:
- failure to provide accurate financial information, including details for player and manager payments, from 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons;
- failure to comply with UEFA Financial Fair Play Rules from 2013-14 to 2017-18;
- breaches of the English Premier League (EPL) Profitability and Sustainability Rules from 2015-16 to 2017-18.
City is also facing multiple charges of failure to co-operate with the EPL investigation between December 2018 and February 2023.
The CEO of the EPL, Richard Masters has described the case as "hugely complex" and has also stated that:
"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."
Not surprisingly, there have been calls for a better system to be put in place which will deliver speedier decisions in financial rules cases.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘