The hearing into the Premier League’s alleged 115 charges against champions Manchester City will begin on Monday, with top flight clubs watching closely to see what punishment, if any, Pep Guardiola’s side are dealt if found guilty.
City, who have won four successive Premier League titles, have been charged with breaking Financial Fair Play [FFP] rules over a between 2009 and 2018. The club, who deny all charges, have been accused of failing to provide accurate financial information, not fully disclosing financial remunerations made to managers, and also falling foul of UEFA’s FFP regulations over a five-year period.
The independent commission, which will see the Premier League and Man City outline their case, is expected to take a number of months and a decision is not expected until the spring of 2025 at the earliest. If found guilty, league rules state Guardiola’s side could face a significant points deduction or removal from the division in the most extreme case.
The case itself is groundbreaking for the Premier League and a significant penalty for City, if found guilty of the charges, would rock the footballing world. Newcastle United will be one of many sides watching on intently as they wait to discover if the league’s most successful side of recent seasons are hit with a substantial punishment that could impact their chances of domestic success.
Meanwhile, City have also launched an unprecedented legal battle against the Premier League as they campaign for the removal of Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules. If the Abu Dhabi-backed club are successful with their legal challenge, a number of the 115 charges would become redundant.
The result will also have huge implications for Newcastle and the prospective deals they could strike off the field with their Saudi ownership. With the Magpies desperately seeking to improve their revenue streams via lucrative sponsorship deals, the outcome of the case will have big ramifications on Tyneside.
At present, the Premier League requires a club to run dealings with ‘associated parties’ past them – ‘Associated parties’ are companies who have a interest in the club, financially or otherwise – before an independent assessment is made to decide if the deals struck between the club and company is of fair market value.
While the Premier League believe these rules are fair, a leaked report shows City have argued they “deliberately intended to stifle commercial freedoms of particular clubs in particular circumstances and thus to restrict economic competition”.
A behind closed doors hearing took place in June, with a decision on the APT ruling expected in the coming weeks. Should the rules change, Newcastle would benefit from the added freedom to strike agreements with their own ‘associated parties’ in Saudi Arabia.
