Case against Man City’s financial breaches could take years to resolve

Don't be expecting results any time soon

The Premier League's ongoing disciplinary case against Manchester City could take anywhere between two to four years to be completed. On Monday it was announced that Man City were to be charged with breaching over 100 regulations with an independent commission set to decide the severity of punishment they will face. City could be punished with sanctions such as a points deduction or even expulsion from the top flight. However lawyer Nick De Marco KC has said that the number of charges City face, as well as the lengthy period they date to, could make the case complex and therefore any final result could take longer determine. Speaking to The Times, he said: "Having worked on the Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday financial fair play cases, both of which involved two charges over about two years and took about a year and a half from charges to the end, I would not be surprised if these proceedings took considerably longer given there are apparently 115 charges covering a period of 14 years." Stefan Borson, Man City's former financial advisor and now chief executive and general counsel of Watchstone Group, believes that it is unlikely that the reigning Premier League champions will be able to take any appeal to the English courts but the case could still take years to resolve. He said: "I think it is unlikely that the club will be able to appeal to the English courts due to the Premier League’s rules requiring its disputes to be dealt with by the commission and arbitration. The seriousness of these allegations is likely to mean it will be a long time before the disciplinary process can be completed — I would not be at all surprised if it took in excess of two years. "Ultimately, I believe it will be very difficult for the Premier League to prove this scale of wrongdoing, but if it does, the consequences for the club and its directors, and, of course, the fans, will be devastating." Related links:

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