7 mad things we can’t believe have happened since Man City’s 115 charges | OneFootball

They say the wheels of justice turn slowly but when it comes to Manchester City‘s ongoing FFP case, it can feel like the wheels aren’t moving at all.

This month marks three long years since the Premier League first announced the Manchester club had been charged 115 times, although that number is thought to actually be around 134, and yet no verdict has been announced nor does the public have any real idea what is going on.

The investigation, appeals and court cases have all been kept behind closed doors, making every bit of recent City success feel marked with an asterisk but while the Premier League drags its heels, the footballing world has been carrying on.

Here are seven things that have happened in the time since City were charged back in February 2023.

City have won six trophies

While the battle in the courtroom was going on, City have proven to be rather successful on the pitch and have picked up six trophies since the charges were first announced.

Chief amongst them was the 2023 Champions League which not only marked the first time the Manchester club had won the trophy but also completed a treble, making them just the second English team to do so, alongside their neighbours.

Erling Haaland has scored 90 goals for City

Haaland’s arrival at City was during the season that the charges were first brought and since then, he has pretty much not stopped scoring.

He had his best season in 2022-23, scoring 36 in all competitions, but has hit a total of 90 goals in the time it has taken the Premier League to work on its case.

Ange Postecoglou’s entire Premier League career has come and gone

Ange Postecoglou’s managerial stocks were at its highest in February 2023 as he was well on his way to guiding Celtic to the league title.

His performance north of the border earned him the Tottenham job and it is hard to believe that he has gone through two jobs in the time it has taken for the 115 charges to play out.

Two Premier League clubs have been docked points

In the time it has taken City and the Premier League to argue it out in the courts, two other Premier League clubs have been docked points.

The first was Everton who, just a few months after City’s charges were announced, were initially docked 10 points due to breaches of PSR. They appealed and it was reduced to six but they were later docked a further two for a second breach.

Nottingham Forest also lost four points in the 2023-24 season for breaching PSR.

Leicester too can be included in the list for they have been docked points this season for breaching PSR, even though they are currently in the Championship.

35 Premier League managers have been sacked

This stat says two things: One, the case of Manchester City has been going on for absolutely ages and two, Premier League clubs sack a lot of managers.

Since the 115 charges were first announced in early February 2023, 35 managers have lost their jobs.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, it is Nottingham Forest who have sacked the most and are tied with Southampton on four.

Wolves, West Ham, Tottenham, Leicester and Chelsea have all sacked three managers in the same timeframe.

As for the individuals, Ange Postecoglou, Gary O’Neil, Graham Potter, Julen Lopetegui, Sean Dyche and Steve Cooper have all been sacked twice, showing the Premier League managerial merry-go-round is alive and well.

Only Arsenal, Aston Villa, Brentford, Fulham, Liverpool, City, and Newcastle have been in the Premier League that whole time and not sacked their manager.

Wrexham went from non-league to potentially the Premier League

In the first game after City’s charges were announced, Wrexham beat Wealdstone in the National League. Three years later and there is more than a small chance they could be a Premier League side next season.

While the amount of money poured into the club means it is not quite the fairytale story that Disney+ would have you believe, Wrexham’s back-to-back-to-back promotions are still impressive and while many thought the Championship would be their first roadblock, they are so far passing that test.

At the time of City’s charges, it could have been joked that they would end up playing Wrexham if they were kicked out of the Football League. That fixture now seems a lot more possible.

City have spent £700m

Don’t tell Pep Guardiola but City have spent an enormous amount of money since being charged with spending too much money.

In the six transfer windows that have occurred since their charges were announced, City have splashed out £700m in fees.

The most notable were Josko Gvardiol and Omar Marmoush who cost a combined £145m and City again dipped their hands in their bottomless wallet to sign Antoine Semenyo this January for £62.5m.

City’s spending then has continued and all the while, fans of other clubs have been wondering if they are playing by the same rules.