A football finance expert has revealed the “most likely” outcome of Manchester City’s FFP lawsuit against the Premier League, but a verdict could be “several days” away.
The long-running legal battle between Man City and the Premier League has been going on since the beginning of 2023.
The incident began after Josep Guardiola’s side were referred by the Premier League to an independent commission, which charged the club with more than 100 breaches of FFP regulations.
Throughout this process, Man City have maintained their innocence, but if found guilty they could face huge fines, point deductions, a transfer ban and relegation from the Premier League.
The case has been going on for far too long and is a complex situation made worse by Man City being embroiled in a separate legal battle with the Premier League in relation to the APT rule.
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FFP hearings will conclude at the end of 2024 and it was initially reported that a verdict could be announced in March, but little has been said about the situation this year.
But there was an update this week, with reports saying a verdict could be reached “within days” due to “concerns” in the Premier League.
Now, football finance expert Dr Dan Plumley has revealed the “noise” he is “hearing” about a possible appeal from Man City.
Mr Plumley told Grosvenor Sport: “It is difficult to judge the deadlines associated with appeals as they can last indefinitely.”
“Depending on what the verdict is and what either side does next, both parties have a right to appeal, and we have certainly heard in the past that City is considering appealing and tying the PL to litigation.”
“These things are never simple and in the midst of it you also deal with power and ego, which cannot be ignored.
“Given the number of charges and the time period associated with them, this process is always likely to be lengthy. Lawyers on both sides will have to consider the details closely, followed by an independent committee hearing and the decision itself.
“There will then be further delays before the decision and its details are made public, which is normal in the way things like this happen, although this is certainly a very costly exercise for both parties.”
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Plumlee also revealed what punishment Man City would be “most likely” to face if found guilty.
“If City is found guilty, all of these could be considered as sanctions and PL could seek any one or a combination of them,” Plumley added.
“It is very difficult to predict what the outcome will be because there is no precedent.
“Until we know, it’s always speculation, but if I had to guess, point deductions and fines would be the most likely, with relegation and title being stripped as extreme but unlikely scenarios.”
