Manchester City’s 115-Charge Case Faces Fresh Twist — Verdict Delay Could Mean Appeals Have Already Begun

Manchester City’s unprecedented 115-charge financial case has dragged on for so long that a football finance expert believes an appeal could already be underway — despite admitting he has no concrete evidence to prove it.

The Premier League charged City in February 2023 over alleged breaches of its financial regulations, yet the club is still waiting for the independent commission’s verdict.

Now, Kieran Maguire has suggested the lack of a decision could point to a development that has not yet been made public.

Could A Verdict Already Have Been Reached?

Speaking on the Rest Is Football podcast, Maguire said he would not be surprised if either Manchester City or the Premier League had already appealed a decision behind the scenes.

He stressed that this was only his theory and that he had “no evidence to back this up”, but pointed to Chelsea’s separate case as a possible precedent.

Chelsea faced 78 charges relating to historical financial matters, with the outcome followed by an appeal that took several more months to resolve. Maguire believes a similar process could potentially explain why there has still been no public conclusion in City’s case.

“We could be in a situation… that there has been a decision made on Manchester City and either the Premier League or Manchester City have immediately appealed,” he said.

However, there has been no official confirmation that this has happened.

Why The Case Is Taking So Long

The independent commission’s 12-week hearing concluded in December 2024 after examining the huge volume of allegations against City.

The case includes 54 alleged breaches concerning the provision of accurate and up-to-date financial information between 2009 and 2018, along with 14 alleged breaches relating to financial reporting on player and manager compensation during the same period.

City have consistently denied the accusations.

Maguire highlighted the sheer scale of the evidence involved, saying there could be “hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pieces of evidence” requiring detailed examination.

He also pointed to the complexity of having three senior figures on the commission working through the case and reaching a final determination.

“If there are 115 charges, there are 115 defences,” he said, underlining why the process has become so lengthy.

Nine-Figure Legal Costs

The delay is also believed to be financially punishing for both sides.

Maguire estimated that Manchester City and the Premier League could each have accumulated legal costs exceeding £100million, highlighting just how significant the case has become.

He suggested the consequences could be enormous if City were to lose, while a defeat for the Premier League would also carry serious ramifications given the scale and expense of the proceedings.

Yet the process has remained tightly controlled, with Maguire praising those involved for maintaining what he described as an effective news blackout.

“There are no leaks, no WhatsApp groups with gossip,” he said.

Premier League Insists Due Process Must Continue

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has acknowledged that the case has taken considerably longer than expected but has refused to provide an update on when the verdict might arrive.

Masters said the league must respect confidentiality until the independent commission is ready to issue its decision.

“I can’t give any update on timing or what’s happening,” he said, while stressing that the only route available is to allow the process to run its course.

The Premier League’s role, he explained, is to bring allegations before an independent commission when the evidence is sufficient and allow that commission to establish the truth.

For Manchester City, that means the wait continues.

And with the possibility of an appeal now being raised — albeit without evidence that one has actually begun — the final chapter of the 115-charge saga could still be further away than anyone expected.