Man City FFP: ‘Update on final decision’ revealed with Citizens facing ‘a year in the Championship’

It is “unlikely” that Man City are unlikely to hear the full conclusion of their Premier League financial fair play case until the end of 2025, according to the club’s former financial adviser Stefan Borson.

The Citizens lifted their fourth consecutive Premier League title last season with Pep Guardiola’s side deserving of another title after a relentless finish to the season.

Man City were charged in February 2023 with more than 100 breaches of the competition’s financial fair play regulations dating back to 2009.

The club could face a points deduction or even expulsion from the competition if found guilty but Man City have vociferously denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight their case.

To many critics of the club, which is supported by the vast wealth of owner Sheikh Mansour, the Premier League charges cast a shadow over their success.

And former Man City financial adviser Borson has brought an ‘update on the final decision’ and insists that the Citizens could have to wait a long time to hear the outcome of the Premier League’s FFP case against them.

Borson told Football Insider : “What we don’t know here is if they have not only booked out the panel’s time for the whole of the rest of the year for the hearing, but whether they have also booked them out for the first part of 2025 for them to consider and then write up their written reasons.

“The idea that it would be very early in 2025 if it is a 10-week trial, I think is unlikely.

“You can expect that they will need something like at least the same time again to write up the decision.

“If it really is a 10-week hearing, I can’t see that they are going to be able to deliver it any time before March.

“If actually what’s happened is loads of charges have dropped off and have already been dealt with and we are actually looking at a much shorter hearing, then everything changes.

“But taking it all at face value from everything we have seen in The Times in particular, that it is a 10-week trial that’s going to run until the end of the year and, therefore, has an incredible level of complexity that we always thought it had, this is just not going to be dealt with to conclusion after appeal before the end of 2025 rather than the end of the 2024-25 season.”

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One Premier League club executive was quoted as saying to The Athletic last week that Man City could face an 80 point deduction.

They said: “The collective view I’ve heard is that an appropriate sanction would have to be a points deduction so substantial — we are talking here between 70 and 80 points — that it guarantees City a season in the Championship.”

And former Everton CEO Keith Wyness insists that Man City will now “find it hard to come out of this completely free”.

Wyness told Football Insider : “The longer this goes on, the collateral damage for everyone just gets worse.

“It’s a bad look for City, and it’s also a bad look for the Premier League.

“City claims they have irrefutable proof they are innocent, and they have Lord Pannick – one of the top KCs in the country.

“They’re very bullish, but I do believe – having looked at the charges – they’ll find it hard to come out of this completely free.

“Both sides have got to try and find a settlement that is a rap on the knuckles for City, possibly more, and just get back to football rather than worrying about the courtroom.”