The hearing into Manchester City’s 115 charges for alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules begins on today.
City were charged and referred to an independent commission in February 2023 following a four-year investigation.
It is alleged City breached its financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
City strongly deny all charges and have said their case is supported by a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence.”
A previous ruling against the club for financial fair play breaches was overruled by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2020 on the grounds that “most of the alleged breaches reported by the adjudicatory chamber of the CFCB were either not established or time-barred.”
The Premier League claims City breached rules requiring the club to provide “accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position.”
This included sponsorship income and operating costs, while it has also accused the Premier League champions of not co-operating with its investigation.
When the Premier League investigation began, City said the allegations were “entirely false” and that the allegations originally published in German newspaper Der Spiegel came from “illegal hacking and out of context publication of City emails”.
City have won eight league titles, multiple cups and the Champions League since their 2008 takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group.
“It starts soon and hopefully finishes soon,” City manager Pep Guardiola said in a press conference on Friday ahead of the club’s 2-1 win over Brentford at the weekend. “I am looking forward to the decision.
“I’m happy it’s starting on Monday. I know there will be more rumours, new specialists about the sentences we’re going to see. I know what people are looking forward to, what they expect, I know, what I read for many, many years.
“Everybody is innocent until guilt is proven. So we’ll see.”
