Stefan Borson drops verdict on Man City 115 charges decision landing this week
Manchester City are continuing to wait for the verdict in their 115 charges case to be delivered.
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.
Pep Guardiola’s side are alleged to have concealed payments through third parties by disguising them as sponsorship revenue.
An independent commission hearing started in September last year and ended in December, with the panel still considering its verdict.
It has been suggested Man City could receive the verdict during the ongoing international break, but that hasn’t so far proven to be the case.
Man City need days to review 115 charges decision
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider it’s becoming more unlikely the decision will be delivered this week.
Man City have shown signs of confidence the verdict will go in their favour, but it’s impossible to know where the panel stand on the situation due to the lack of information revealed to the public.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about whether the decision could be revealed this week, Borson said: “As every day ticks by, it becomes less likely. That’s kind of obvious. I think that they would need a certain number of days to review it before release.
“That suggests that if it is going to be this international break, then it needed to be delivered to the parties probably by Friday, maybe Monday. Even then, Monday starts to leak into the next round of Premier League games because if they get in out Monday, let’s say they have 48 hours minimum to review it.
“You’re then talking about a Wednesday release. I mean, that’s barely even the international break, so I don’t know. I guess you’d have to say, clearly it’s looking less likely to be in this international break.”
It is believed Man City are spending around £25million in their 115 charges case, with the Premier League’s legal bill expected to be in a similar ballpark.
Man City and Premier League facing 115 charges issue
Borson insisted it will be difficult for the parties to manage the situation if the decision is delivered mid-season.
“The international break theory is only around convenience from a PR perspective and avoiding some of the issues that inevitably come if it’s not in an international break because there are very few days with no games,” said Borson.
“There are very few days where there are no games, where there isn’t a preview of a future game. So, to throw it into the mix of a Premier League gameweek or a general gameweek in mid-season, to throw this decision into that I think is going to be very difficult to manage for the parties. That’s the Premier League and for City.
“Now, you might say, well, that’s what they had to deal with on Everton, but I just don’t think this is the same as Everton and Nottingham Forest. I just don’t think this is of the same scale, but it looks to me as if they really have very little control of the process from the panel.”
Premier League chair Alison Brittain has previously come under fire for her role in the case, with the top-flight clubs set to vote on whether or not to re-elect her this week.
For more Man City and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.