Stefan Borson: This is how the Premier League will respond if Man City win 115 charges case
Manchester City are still waiting to hear the long-awaited verdict in their 115 charges 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.
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 is believed Man City could receive the verdict during the next international break, which starts after this weekend’s instalment of Premier League football.
Premier League chief in ‘usual’ position after Man City charges
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider the Premier League will insist it had a duty to pursue the claims if it loses the 115 charges case.
Alison Brittain has previously come under fire for her role in the case, with the Premier League chair seeking re-election this month.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “Look, it’s slightly tricky because she’s in an unusual position in that she’s described as the chair but it’s not clear whether she’s executive or non-executive.
“Now, I think the way that they would see her is as a quasi non-executive. Now, what that means is that she’s not responsible for the day-to-day running of the business. She oversees it and, therefore, I think the most likely scenario is if it was to go against the executive team, the executive team will always say, ‘We have an obligation to pursue these claims and it was an independent process that was something we had to do’.
“This is in the event that they lose. Obviously if they win, then of course they’re vindicated in terms of pursuing City. But if they were to lose, I think they would still say, ‘Well, we had an obligation. We lost, but we didn’t do anything wrong’. I think realistically that that’s going to cause the executive team some challenges.”
Man City have shown signs of confidence the verdict will go in their favour ahead of the panel revealing its decision.
Premier League chief to be re-elected despite Man City issue
Borson believes Brittain will be re-elected by the Premier League clubs despite the ongoing 115 charges case.
“I think for Alison Brittain, it’s probably going to be her that’s in charge of cleaning up what comes afterwards if the Premier League were to lose the case, as opposed to being somebody who has to fall on their sword,” said Borson.
“Look, it’s not clear. Of course, this is hugely speculative, and we don’t know which way it’s going to go. There’s an interesting timing issue, but what can they do? I mean, she’s obviously somebody who’s highly rated. They want to keep her on. They don’t see any reason for changing it.
“The City case is the City case and runs independently in the background, and so they’ve got no choice but to pursue a renewal of her term.”
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.
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