Man City could get ‘very good news’ after 115 charges twist – Stefan Borson
Manchester City could receive “very good news” in their 115 charges case if the decision is published before the end of January.
That is the view of former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider he would be “absolutely staggered” if the panel reaches its verdict that quickly unless it was a firm dismissal of the case.
Man City were dealt the charges by the Premier League in February 2023 for allegedly breaching the financial fair play (FFP) rules over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.
An independent commission hearing into the 115 charges started on 16 September and paused towards the end of November to provide both parties’ legal teams time to prepare their closing arguments.
It has been revealed the hearing finished at the start of this week, with the panel now considering the evidence before it publishes its decision.
The Times reported on 9 December Man City could learn their fate by the end of January.
Man City 115 charges decision unlikely to be revealed next month
But Borson believes it’s unlikely a decision will be published next month following the 12-week hearing.
“It would be very good news for City if it was delivered very quickly,” Borson told Football Insider.
“But I think it’s extremely unlikely given the duration of the hearing itself. I just can’t see how they could come to a decision in that timescale.
“If you think about what that would look like in the High Court, it would take probably a year at least to get a decision after a 12-week trial, so I think it’s unlikely.
“If you think about the recent associated party transaction hearing, that was a two-week hearing and it still took three months to get a decision. Compared to the City allegations, that was relatively simple.
“They may well have agreed with the tribunal they would come up with a decision in a certain timescale.
“I think it’s unlikely, but I don’t know what The Times have been told. Maybe The Times have been told something in terms of the agreed timetable, but on the face of it, it’s going to take the tribunal a long time to come to a conclusion.
“If they were to find against City, I would expect it to take even longer to reduce the judgement because they will know that the scrutiny that is going to follow if they find against City is going to be that much more intense.
“I would be absolutely staggered if the decision came in January, unless it was a very firm dismissal of the case.”
In other news, Man City accelerate plan to sign Bruno Guimaraes.
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