Man City's 115-charges appeal could take years to resolve, leading barrister warns

Manchester City have confirmed they will appeal the Premier League’s guilty verdict in the 115 financial charges case, triggering a review process that a leading barrister says could take years to conclude.

The original ruling found City guilty of all serious financial charges, with the Premier League accusing the club of ‘sham’ contracts and inflating sponsorship agreements by more than £800 million. City responded by reaffirming their innocence and announcing their intention to appeal.

Under Premier League regulations, the appeal will be heard in private by a new independent panel. The hearing should last a maximum of five days, conclude within 12 weeks of being convened, and a decision must be communicated within 30 days of that. That timeline, even if followed strictly, pushes any ruling into 2027.

However, there is no guarantee those timescales will hold given the unprecedented complexity of the case. A separate sanctions hearing could also be convened before the appeal concludes, though that step appears more likely to follow the appeal verdict, since the outcome would directly affect any punishment handed down. City would then retain the right to appeal any sanction, potentially extending proceedings further.

That sequence makes it highly unlikely the matter will be resolved before the end of the current Premier League season — an outcome the league and rival clubs will be keen to avoid.

Paul Gilroy KC, a leading barrister speaking on The Overlap, was blunt about the prospects of a swift resolution. “All of this is subject to an appeal and is subject to legal challenges beyond the Premier League,” he said. “And this is a party — Manchester City — which has shown itself perfectly willing to take this process external to the regulator, to go to the high court to get its remedies elsewhere.”

Gilroy dismissed suggestions the case could wrap up by May. “Never mind this season or the next or maybe the next five seasons. This is not going to end unless there is an accommodation,” he said, pointing to the possibility of a negotiated settlement as the most realistic path to a timely conclusion.

“There is a necessity for us all to get around the table to sort this out,” Gilroy added, “because otherwise it is going to take a very, very long time.”