Premier League CEO admits Man City's 115-charge verdict has taken longer than expected

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has conceded that the verdict on Manchester City’s 115 alleged financial rule breaches is overdue, telling Sky News he understands the frustration but is bound by confidentiality rules until a decision is ready to be announced.

City were charged in February 2023 over alleged breaches of financial regulations spanning several seasons. The club has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and the independent commission hearing the case has yet to deliver its findings.

“Our rules are very clear about that — I have to keep everything confidential until we’re ready to hand down a decision and be clear about it,” Masters said. “I can’t give any update on timing or what’s happening. There’s only one available route through this, which is to allow the process to take its course. It has taken longer than expected, and I do understand the frustrations.”

The prolonged uncertainty hangs over a club entering a new era. Pep Guardiola departed at the end of last season after a decade at the Etihad that yielded six Premier League titles, the Champions League and the Club World Cup. Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has taken charge, with City opening their Premier League campaign at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.

Masters also weighed in on the ongoing governance crisis at FIFA in a separate interview, describing the situation as self-inflicted and opposing any move to sell a stake in the World Cup.

“This is a problem of Fifa’s making,” he said. “The organisation has pressed the self-destruct button, and the consequences of that flow now into the solutions that need to be found. I don’t think Fifa should be ever contemplating selling off a stake in the World Cup. They’re a not-for-profit organisation. They should really be holding that competition in trust for the future of football.”

Masters also backed the Football Association’s stance against FIFA president Gianni Infantino and suggested that any candidate seeking to challenge Infantino’s re-election next year should prioritise structural reform. “I think an emerging unity candidate should have on his or her agenda reform of Fifa, and perhaps even reform of the president’s role,” he said.

His comments came shortly after it emerged that FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour had left the organisation, just two weeks after publicly criticising Infantino’s World Cup commercialisation plan.