Manchester City are playing “war games” with the Premier League as the “stakes become increasingly high” as they await the verdict of their FFP trial.
An independent hearing into the Citizens’ alleged breaches of financial fair play finished at the end of last year and a number of sanctions have been touted, including points penalties, transfer embargoes, stripping titles and even complete expulsion from the Premier League.
City have claimed two legal wins over the Premier League, with Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules deemed ‘null and void’ in the most recent ‘significant’ victory for the club.
But they will be sweating what we had been told was an imminent outcome of the FFP hearing despite insisting on their innocence throughout proceedings.
Both Everton and Nottingham Forest were docked points in 2023/2024 for breaking Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules, and City look set to be hit considerably harder if they’re found guilty as they face well over 100 charges.
But it’s claimed we’re going to have to wait a while yet before learning the outcome, with The Telegraph claiming last week that we can now expect an outcome in the summer, casting doubt as to whether we will even have the verdict before the start of the 2025/2026 Premier League season.
The report added:
‘A hearing by an independent commission concluded in December after almost three months of legal argument at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre. It was initially anticipated that a decision in the case could be delivered around this time, in the early spring.
‘But no hard-and-fast deadline was ever set and the feeling is that an outcome is unlikely before the summer, raising the prospect of there still being quite a wait before a verdict arrives. The 2025/26 Premier League season is due to start on August 16.
‘Given the number of charges, the complexities involved, the amount of evidence heard and challenged and the scrutiny around a case dubbed football’s “trial of the century”, the length of time being taken is not considered a surprise in legal circles.’
Keith Wyness, the former Everton CEO who now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs, also isn’t surprised, and claims City and the Premier League will currently be “playing war games” as “the stakes are becoming increasingly high”.
He told Football Insider: “We had thought Easter time would be about right for the verdict.
“That would’ve allowed time to look at the huge amount of statements, witness statements, evidence, etc.
“It now looks like it’s going to be more towards summer now, which really doesn’t surprise me given the complexity of this case and what is at stake.
“I think it’s only just catching up to some people, the importance of this case.
“Things are being double-checked, triple-checked, quadruple-checked – they’ll be taking stock.
“Both sides will be playing war games in terms of looking at what-ifs, and there’ll be a lot of work in trying to plan the next few steps.
“The stakes are becoming increasingly high.”