The Premier League‘s long-awaited hearing into Man City‘s 115 alleged charges is set to begin on Monday.
Liverpool’s rival faces charges of breaking financial fair play rules over the course of a nine-year period, starting in 2009 and ending in 2018.
During that period, City beat Liverpool to the Premier League title twice, in the 2013/14 and 2017/18 seasons.
Man City have denied all the allegations against them and Pep Guardiola has also previously spoken of his conviction about their innocence.
Now, according to Sky Sports, the hearing is set to begin on Monday, September 16.
It is then when both the Premier League and City’s legal teams will make their case to an independent panel.
Given the sheer amount of allegations raised against the club, it is expected that the hearing will go on for at least two months.
Sky Sports reports that while all parties hope to conclude proceedings by the end of the calendar year, a verdict could be heard as late as 2025.
The independent commission will need time to consider all the evidence presented to them before making a decision.
Charges and possible punishments
If City are found guilty, they could be deducted points and on extreme level, they could even face expulsion from the league – the latter, though, is unlikely.
Whether the club would be stripped of the titles they won during the nine-year period if found guilty of the alleged charges is also moot.
There is a lot of clamour for their fate to be determined after punishment for Everton and Nottingham Forest on a scale that does not even come close to the charges against City.
Their charges centre around breaking financial fair play rules around 100 times throughout a nine-year period, plus a failure to co-operate with the Premier League investigation from 2018 up until February 2023.
Should the independent commission find City guilty, the club are also likely to appeal the decision, which could delay the process even longer. Buckle up, this isn’t going to be a smooth ride.
