The hearing regarding Manchester City’s 115 alleged violations of Premier League financial rules is set to begin on Monday, September 16.
This long-awaited hearing will address charges against Manchester City for breaching financial fair play regulations over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018. During this time, City, who have denied all allegations, secured the Premier League title three times.
The investigation was prompted by Der Spiegel’s publication of Football Leaks documents in 2018, which accused City of channeling money from the club’s owners through sponsors in the United Arab Emirates.
The start date of the hearing, initially reported as September, has now been confirmed.
City won the Premier League titles in 2012, 2014, and 2018.
Alan Shearer has shared his perspective on the upcoming proceedings. The Premier League’s all-time top scorer acknowledged that understanding the potential outcome will be challenging and does not expect a quick resolution.
“Man City’s hearing begins next week,” Shearer wrote via Betfair. “Although we’ve seen point deductions for Everton and Forest last season, Leicester’s argument was recently upheld by an independent committee. I really have no idea what will happen with Man City.
“I think in the coming weeks or months, we won’t know what’s happening behind the scenes or what the verdict will be, if any. It’s just a matter of waiting, and we will have to make judgments when the outcome is finally announced. It might be a long time before we get any clarity.
“We don’t know whether they will be found guilty of some, none, or all of the charges, so predicting the outcome is nearly impossible.”