115 charges decision date revealed as senior Premier League figures ‘brace themselves’ for Manchester City verdict | OneFootball

A new date concerning the long-awaited verdict around Manchester City’s 115 Premier League charges has now surfaced in fresh reporting this week.

The long-running case between City and the Premier League over the club’s alleged breaches of financial regulations has dominated football discourse since charges were first announced in February 2023.

In the time since, Manchester City have continued to deny all wrongdoing while competing at the top of English and European football, maintaining that they possess irrefutable evidence to disprove every claim made against them.

This latest development comes after months of mounting anticipation and speculation surrounding when a decision might finally be revealed. Premier League CEO Richard Masters recently addressed the matter publicly, explaining that the league has no control over the process or its timings, emphasising that “independent people” make those decisions.

The timing of this reported decision also follows closely after the Premier League and Manchester City reached a legal settlement concerning the Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules.

That resolution was widely seen as easing tensions between the club and the governing body, yet it also reignited conversations about how the outcome of the 115 charges case might reshape the financial landscape of the English game.

Now, according to The Independent’s Miguel Delaney, senior figures across the Premier League are ‘bracing themselves’ amid ‘growing murmurs’ that the decision concerning Manchester City’s 115 charges is expected “this month”.

It is claimed that ‘many everyday employees’ at the Etihad Stadium have become inured to the prospect given the fact that it has been hanging over them for so long, and far longer than expected.

The report further states there is now a belief its actual impact could be ‘significantly lessened in terms of regulatory effect’ due to the parallel associated party transaction (APT) case, which ended in a settlement between Manchester City and the Premier League.

The independent commission has the authority to impose a wide range of potential outcomes, from financial penalties and transfer restrictions to points deductions or even more severe disciplinary action.

However, given the complexities of the case and Manchester City’s robust legal defence, the feeling among some is that any ruling could yet be met with appeals and potentially years of further litigation.

Other observers also believe the recent APT settlement may have created a softer political backdrop for the verdict, reducing the appetite for drastic sanctions and prioritising procedural resolution over spectacle.

As previously reported by The Times newspaper, the cost of legal battles between Manchester City and the Premier League has already surpassed £200 million between both parties – a figure described by one club executive as “eye-watering.”

Whatever the outcome, the months ahead promise to be decisive for both City and the Premier League’s reputation for transparency and consistency. A verdict in the coming weeks would bring temporary closure to one chapter, but it could equally trigger a new wave of appeals.