Key Takeaways:
- Manchester City were charged by the Premier League in early 2023 with 115 alleged breaches of financial regulations from 2009 to 2018
- No verdict has yet been announced, with a decision potentially imminent before Christmas, according to the club’s former financial advisor
- City’s former advisor has attributed the lengthy process to the verdict panel, rather than faulting the club or the Premier League
Timeline and Nature of the Charges
Manchester City have been at the centre of a long-standing investigation regarding 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations, covering a period between 2009 and 2018. The Premier League brought forward the charges in the early months of 2023, following a comprehensive probe into the club’s finances.
During the period under scrutiny, City clinched the Premier League title in 2012, 2014, and 2018. Following those successes, the club, managed by Pep Guardiola, secured five additional league trophies. Manchester City have maintained their denial of any wrongdoing throughout the ongoing proceedings. Despite a hearing that commenced more than a year ago, a public decision is still outstanding.
😳 "All the lawyers are surprised that there's no decision at this stage!"
⏳ "I believe it is imminent, and that's repeating what the parties believe!"
Stefan Borson is adamant that #MCFC's 115 charges case result is due any minute now! 👀 pic.twitter.com/pAge37cMYg
— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) November 25, 2025
Decision May Arrive Before Year-End
Stefan Borson, formerly a financial advisor to Manchester City, has provided insight into the situation, suggesting that a verdict could be handed down before the Christmas period. Borson attributed the extended wait to the panel tasked with rendering a decision rather than Manchester City or the Premier League itself.
Borson told talkSPORT: “I think Simon thinks it’s going to come out next year, I think it still could come out before Christmas. The decision has been imminent for quite some time, there’s not a lot that they can do. It doesn’t take that long.”
The drawn-out nature of the process has subjected both the club and its fanbase to ongoing speculation regarding the legitimacy of their recent achievements, including their treble-winning campaign in 2023.
Panel’s Role in Delays
Further elaborating, Borson argued that neither side involved should bear responsibility for the time taken and instead pointed to the panel overseeing the case as the main source of delay. The lack of clarity and public information surrounding the composition and instructions of the panel has contributed to the ongoing uncertainty.
He stated: “Well, look, nobody knows because even the parties themselves expected to have been told by now. All the lawyers are surprised there is no decision at this stage, and that’s on both sides. I’ll tell you who’s holding it up – the panel making the decision. They hold the pen. They are the people who everybody waits for to deliver the decision.
“Well, nobody knows. We know the long list – you can cobble it together from all of the people on the judicial panel – but we don’t know who is on that list. We can make some guesses that it’s probably two lawyers and maybe one accountant. But we don’t know who is on the panel and what they were told to produce by when.
“We can now assume I think, given how long it has been and that everybody is so surprised that they don’t have a decision, that actually there’s very little guidance given to them and they weren’t effectively paid for their time from the moment the case ended.
“Arguably the Premier and Manchester City together, with the panel, should have agreed a process whereby the hearing ends and then effectively they are exclusively paid to deliberate and produce, over let’s say three months or at worst six months, the decision during the closed season.”
