‘Time to resolve Man City charges’, declares Premier League chief Richard Masters

Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, has declared “it is time” for Manchester City’s 115-charge case to “resolve itself” as the long-awaited hearing looks set to open next month.

Masters refused to be drawn on the timeline of the case but emphasised that after a “number of years” City and the league needed the case “heard and answered”.

The most consequential case in top-tier history is on track to be heard from mid-to-late September, although further delays are possible. ESPN reports that the case is pencilled in to open on September 16. Other sources with understanding of the process say a verdict is certain by the end of the new season, with some suggesting a potential decision by early in the new year.

Masters was asked repeatedly about the City case after the league invited broadcasters to a season launch event. “It’s important that the situation does resolve itself,” he told the BBC.

When further pressed on why a speedy resolution was imperative, he added: “I think it’s time now for it to resolve itself. It’s been going on for a number of years and I think it is self-evident that the case needs to be heard and answered.”

The long-awaited financial case against City, to be heard by an independent panel, had originally been pencilled in for October and November.

Masters has confirmed several times in recent months that a “date had been set” but he has repeatedly refused to go into any further detail about the confidential process. Multiple sources with understanding of the process predict a 10-week timescale for the hearing.

Saga may take years to resolve if there are appeals

Potential expulsion from the league is among available punishments should the club be found guilty. The case cannot go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but either side could appeal, prompting speculation the saga could yet take a year or more to be finally resolved.

By the start of the independent hearing, City will have the results of a separate arbitration hearing against the competition on associated-party transaction rules. In that case, City have already claimed they are victims of “discrimination” from rival clubs.

The charges against City, who deny wrongdoing, include 54 failures to provide accurate financial information from 2009-10 to 2017-18, 14 failures to provide accurate details for player and manager payments from 2009-10 to 2017-18, five failures to comply with Uefa’s rules including financial fair play (FFP) from 2013-14 to 2017-18, seven breaches of the Premier League’s PSR rules from 2015-16 to 2017-18 and 35 failures to co-operate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 to February 2023.

In a 2020 judgment, Uefa banned City from the Champions League for two seasons and fined them £26 million. However, the punishment was overturned by Cas.

This season brings with it potentially major changes for financial curbs on clubs. The Premier League clubs are trialling an alternative financial system that operates like a spending cap, alongside the existing profitability and sustainability rules.

Masters said the regulatory moves aimed to create a situation where “we let the football do the talking”. He added: “We want to move to a new system that people have confidence in and can comply with and move away perhaps from normalising asterisks against league tables or long-running regulatory cases.”

The top tier was also attempting to iron out concerns around VAR by announcing improvements that will include new semi-automated offside technology,

Genius Sports, which is already a data partner with the league, has been appointed as the supplier to the new AI technology, with new cameras installed in every stadium.

“This level of data collection significantly exceeds any other officiating system in world sport, enabling an incredible level of precision in every offside decision,” Genius Sport says.

Tony Scholes, the league’s Chief Football Officer, said: “The experience for all participants including supporters will also be enhanced through quicker communication and clearer imagery around offside decisions.”