Man City's road from Premier League financial charges to reported verdict

Sept 25 : The following is a timeline of Manchester City's Premier League financial rules case, from the charges brought in February 2023 to reports on Friday that the club had been found guilty of all but one of the 115 alleged breaches.

February 6, 2023

The Premier League refers City to an independent commission over more than 100 alleged breaches of finance rules.

City were alleged to have committed multiple financial breaches such as failing to provide accurate financial information, Financial Fair Play breaches, failure to cooperate with investigations, breaching profitability and sustainability regulations and failure to report contracts.

February 10, 2023

City manager Pep Guardiola says the club have already been 'condemned' after being charged by the Premier League.

"It's the same as what happened after UEFA (charges), these are just charges. With UEFA the club proved it was completely innocent. We are lucky we live in a marvellous country where everyone is innocent until proven guilty," Guardiola said.

May 24, 2023

Guardiola says he would like the financial charges against the club to be dealt with "as soon as possible" after City secured a fifth league title in six seasons under the Spaniard.

"Let's go. Don't wait two years. Why don't we do it quicker? In 24 hours, sit down with lawyers present. Let's have it as soon as possible for the benefit of everyone," he said.

June 19, 2023

City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said the club were frustrated by the situation, saying it detracted from the achievements of the team after they achieved a treble.

"I hope people focus and judge them (the players) for their football, what they're achieving on the pitch and what they're achieving in every competition they're in," he said.

November 15, 2023

City say they earned revenues of 712.8 million pounds ($876.17 million) to June 2023 - an increase of 99.8 million (16.3 per cent) over the previous season, along with a record net profit of 80.4 million pounds.

November 17, 2023

Everton become the first Premier League team to be deducted points for breaching Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) when the league docked the Merseyside club 10 points over their finances in the 2020-21 season.

The Commission determined that Everton's PSR calculation for the relevant period resulted in a loss of 124.5 million pounds - which exceeded the threshold of 105 million pounds permitted under PSRs.

January 15, 2024

Nottingham Forest also face points deductions after being charged by the Premier League for a breach of their PSRs.

January 16, 2024

Premier League CEO Richard Masters tells the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee of the UK Parliament that a hearing date has been set for City's financial rule breach charges.

"There is a date set for that proceeding. Unfortunately, I can't tell you when that is but it is progressing," Masters said.

February 26, 2024

Everton have their points deduction for breaching Premier League financial rules reduced to six points from 10 on appeal.

March 18, 2024

Forest are plunged into the relegation zone after having four points deducted for breaking financial rules in the 2022-23 season. The club had admitted breaching the threshold of 61 million pounds by 34.5 million.

March 21, 2024

Leicester City also face a points deduction after the Premier League refers the 2015-16 champions to an independent commission over alleged breaches of the league's spending rules.

April 8, 2024

Everton are docked two more points by the Premier League - their second points deduction of the season - after an independent commission found they had breached the league PSRs.

May 7, 2024

Forest are unsuccessful in their appeal to overturn their four-point deduction but the club eventually survives relegation, finishing six points above the drop zone.

May 10, 2024

Everton withdraw their appeal against the two-point deduction after the team secure their top-flight status. They eventually finish 15th in the standings.

September 3, 2024

Leicester City win an appeal against a decision that could have led to a points deduction for an alleged breach of PSRs on the basis that an independent commission ruling on the case did not have jurisdiction.

Leicester's accounting period ended on June 30, 2023, when the club was no longer a member of the Premier League following relegation to the second tier the previous month.

September 16, 2024

Hearing into City's alleged violations of the Premier League's financial regulations begins. Held by an independent commission comprised of three judges, it is estimated to last 10 weeks.

October 7, 2024

In a separate independent hearing, both City and the Premier League claimed victory after an arbitration panel ruled on sponsorship deals, known as Associated Party Transactions (APT), that the club was blocked from completing.

December 6, 2024

Hearing into City's alleged violations concludes, with a decision expected in early 2025.

February 8, 2025

Guardiola said he expected a verdict "in one month", days after City had spent around 190 million pounds on new players in the January transfer window.

August 13, 2025

Ahead of the 2025-26 season, Masters says they have no influence over the decision and cannot speculate on the timings of the case.

"Legal processes rarely take less time than anticipated. We have to be patient," he told Sky Sports.

May 22, 2026

Guardiola announces he will leave City at the end of the 2025-26 season, bringing to a close a decade in charge that delivered one of the most successful eras in English soccer.

June 29, 2026

City appoint former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca as manager from the 2026-27 season, tasking the Italian with building on the success achieved under Guardiola.

August 18, 2026

Masters acknowledged growing frustration over the delay in a verdict on the alleged charges against City, saying the process had taken longer than expected.

September 25, 2026

City were found guilty of all but one of the 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, The Athletic and The Times reported on Friday.

The club are expected to appeal, the reports added.

The Premier League declined to comment. "It's a confidential process, we're not commenting at all," a spokesperson said.

City did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, but told the BBC that the inquiry into allegations "remains ongoing."

(Compiled by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru and Pearl Josephine Nazare in Goa;)