Man City CEO insists case will drag on as club braces for punishment after 114 breaches verdict

Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano has signalled that the fallout from the club’s Premier League financial rules case is far from over, telling a meeting of league officials in Copenhagen on Monday that resolving the matter will require significantly more time.

City were found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial regulations last Friday by an independent panel — the conclusion of a process that began when the club were first charged in 2023. The club have consistently maintained their innocence and are expected to appeal the verdict.

Soriano, who attended Monday’s meeting with Premier League officials, is understood to have echoed the stance of chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who released an open letter to supporters at the weekend reaffirming the club’s position. According to the Times, Soriano told the gathering: “It has taken eight years to reach this point and it will still take much more time.” He declined to speak to the media after the meeting.

The question of punishment remains unresolved. Debate among clubs, pundits and supporters has ranged from financial penalties and transfer embargoes at the more lenient end, to heavy points deductions, expulsion from the league, and the stripping of titles won during the period covered by the charges. The Premier League is understood to want the appeals process fully exhausted before any final sanction is determined, meaning supporters on all sides face a potentially lengthy further wait.

Meanwhile, Erling Haaland has been shielded from media duties while on international duty with Norway. Head coach Ståle Solbakken confirmed the decision was deliberate, citing the volume of external noise surrounding City’s situation. “We naturally want him to focus and have the best possible conditions to prepare,” Solbakken said, drawing a comparison with the distraction caused by Rodri’s press conference commitments during the same international break. “I think Haaland should focus on his task now. His task is to score for Norway.”

The scale of the charges — 114 proven breaches covering areas including financial fair play, player and manager remuneration, and a failure to co-operate with the league’s investigation — makes this one of the most significant disciplinary cases in English football history. With an appeal now anticipated, a final resolution and any accompanying punishment could still be months, if not longer, away.