Man City's guilty verdict faces legal scrutiny as club vows to fight all 115 charges

Manchester City have been handed a potential lifeline in their fight against 115 Premier League financial charges, after a sports lawyer suggested the independent panel overseeing the case could face “serious scrutiny” over the time taken to reach a verdict.

Reports emerged on Friday claiming City had been found guilty on all but one of the charges, which relate to alleged financial breaches between 2009 and 2018. The club were first charged in February 2023, and a hearing that ran for three months between September and December 2024 has yet to produce an officially confirmed verdict. City have maintained their innocence throughout and are expected to appeal.

A report in The Times cited a sports lawyer who argued that the prolonged timeline of the case — now stretching over three years — could place the panel’s conduct under significant legal scrutiny, offering City a potential avenue to challenge any eventual ruling.

Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak addressed supporters directly in an open letter published over the weekend, striking a defiant tone. “The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the Club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began,” he wrote.

Al Mubarak acknowledged the difficulty of the situation for fans, noting that strict legal confidentiality prevented him from sharing the full basis for the club’s confidence. “There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position,” he said. “But the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it means I cannot do that at the moment. Even this letter underwent several legal checks to make sure it complies.”

The chairman also urged supporters to revisit both the club’s statement from Friday and the original statement issued in February 2023, insisting that “every word matters and holds true.”

“While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed,” Al Mubarak added. “We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed.”

The precise timing of an official verdict confirmation remains unclear, as does the potential punishment City could face — which may be announced before or during any appeal process.