A verdict in Manchester City’s FFP lawsuit against the Premier League is unlikely to be reached this week, according to a football finance expert.
Man City are facing more than 100 charges for allegedly breaching the Premier League’s FFP rules since the start of 2023.
The Premier League referred Josep Guardiola’s side to an independent commission after investigating the club’s conduct between 2009 and 2018, but the situation has lasted far longer than expected.
If Man City are found guilty, they could face a huge fine, point deductions, a transfer ban and expulsion from the Premier League.
City vs. the Premier League hearings took place over several weeks at the end of 2024, with final statements made before the new year, but no verdict has yet been reached.
A decision will reportedly be announced in March 2025, but little has been said about the situation this year, and it remains unclear when this protracted saga will come to an end.
Reports last week revealed an “absurd” twist that the process has been “delayed” by discussions over the future of Premier League chairman Alison Brittain.
Former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Bolson has explained why a verdict is unlikely to be announced this week.
“As the days go by, it becomes less likely. That makes sense in a way. I think we’ll need a certain number of days to review it before it’s released,” Bolson told Football Insider.
Read: Man City FFP: Guardiola’s 26-man squad ranked on likelihood of departure if guilty verdict leads to relegation
“That suggests that if it’s going to be this international holiday, we need to get the documents to the parties, probably by Friday or Monday.
“Still, Monday starts to have an impact on the next round of the Premier League, because let’s say if you’re out on Monday, you have at least 48 hours to consider that.”
“So, you’re talking about a Wednesday release. I mean, that’s just before the international break, so I don’t know. Obviously, I have to say it’s unlikely to be released during this international break.”
Bolson also believes Man City and the Premier League face a “very difficult” situation and shut down “theories”.
“The international break theory is just a convenience from a PR point of view and avoids some of the problems that are inevitable when you are not in an international break period because there are very few days without matches,” Bolson added.
Expand your Man City coverage even further with F365…
👉 FFP guilty verdict leads to Premier League relegation, Man City star redeployed
👉 Aston Villa make Emery ‘transition’ to Man City player, submit ‘formal offer’ to sign Real Madrid star
👉 Erling Haaland’s ridiculous stats as he approaches Premier League goal century
“There is hardly a day that goes by without a game or a preview of a future game.
“So I think to throw this decision into a Premier League game week or a general mid-season game week is going to be very difficult for the parties to manage, which is the Premier League and also for City.”
“Well, you might say that’s what they had to deal with against Everton, but I don’t think it’s the same as Everton or Nottingham Forest.
“I don’t think this is on the same scale, but it looks to me like they have very little control over the process from the panel.”
