A final ruling in Manchester City’s legal battle with the Premier League should arrive before the start of next season and leaves no room for appeal.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Blues challenging commercial rulesRuling expected ahead of 2024-25 seasonAttention then turns to FFP mattersGetty/GOALWHAT HAPPENED?
The reigning champions of English football, who still have an 115-charge Financial Fair Play (FFP) case hanging over their head, are challenging commercial rules put in place by the Premier League that they consider to be “unlawful”. City believe regulations regarding sponsorship agreements and fair market value are weighted against them and prevent funds from being generated that would help to balance their books.
AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE
A two-week arbitration hearing is due to start on June 10, after which a decision will be made. Former City financial advisor Stefan Borson expects that business to be completed quickly – ahead of the 2024-25 campaign – and has pointed out that the Blues will be unable to challenge the outcome.
GettyWHAT FINANCIAL ADVISOR SAID
Borson has told : “There’s not much scope for this case to be dragged out. If you look at the Premier League rules, it looks like there is no appeal possible for anything. It specifically says within the Premier League rules that they can’t appeal on a point of law. Given that this is a law-heavy case, that would be the most likely area that somebody would want to appeal but it is a closed door. So I would expect this to be done in one hit – it will be heard over two weeks. I would expect the decision to come out, probably within a month to six weeks. So that takes us close to the start of the season, but to be perfectly honest I think this is largely relevant to the football.”
WHAT NEXT?
After discovering their fate in one scrap with the Premier League, City will then ready themselves for another. Their long-awaited FFP case is expected to be heard in November, with there still plenty of discussion regarding potential penalties – including expulsion from the top tier of the English game.