Soriano tells rival club chiefs City's 115-charge legal battle will take 'a lot more time'

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has told bosses at rival European clubs that the club’s ongoing legal battle with the Premier League is far from over, saying the process will “take a lot more time” following last week’s verdict.

Soriano made the comments at a meeting of the European Football Clubs board in Copenhagen on Monday, according to the Press Association. His remarks came days after it emerged that City had been found in breach of 114 financial rules following a hearing in late 2024. The club is understood to be appealing the decision.

“It’s taken eight years to get here, and it’s going to take a lot more time,” Soriano told those present, in what was described as an unexpected intervention on a sensitive subject.

The Premier League first began formally investigating the matter in 2018, with some of the 115 charges relating to City’s alleged lack of co-operation with that investigation.

Soriano’s comments, though made in an informal setting, echo the tone of a statement released over the weekend by City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who addressed supporters directly. “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,” Al Mubarak wrote.

The chairman acknowledged that the strict confidentiality of the legal process prevented him from sharing the details that he said would explain the club’s confidence in their position. “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,” he wrote. “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.”

Al Mubarak also pointed supporters to City’s original statement from Friday and a statement issued in February 2023, saying: “Every word matters and holds true.”

With an appeal expected and no timeline confirmed, the case — one of the most complex and consequential in English football history — looks set to continue well into the future.