Man City's 115 charges latest as Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham watch on

Manchester City and the Premier League remain in limbo as they await the outcome of their protracted charges dispute.

City face 115 alleged violations of financial fair play regulations spanning a nine-year timeframe, commencing in 2009 after the Abu Dhabi United Group acquisition and running through to 2018. The club has vehemently maintained its innocence across all allegations and has repeatedly insisted it will vindicate itself.

City have additionally been accused of failing to cooperate with the probe into their financial affairs. After a 12-week tribunal that began in September 2024, Pep Guardiola suggested the club anticipated discovering the decision "within one month." A year later, the result remains under wraps.

With ongoing speculation about potential consequences at the Etihad Stadium, football.london has taken a closer look at all the essential details regarding the alleged violations.

How did this begin?

The accusations were brought against City in February 2023, with the club emphatically rejecting all claims.

The matter is unparalleled in magnitude in the Premier League, and the tribunal's conclusion, regardless of whether they are deemed to have violated regulations or are cleared, will carry substantial implications.

Claims of financial misconduct initially emerged via German publication Der Spiegel in 2018, which alleged that improper transactions had occurred at the club.

What constitutes the 115 charges?

The allegations fall into three distinct categories: unlawful financing, failure to cooperate and violations of financial regulations under both UEFA and Premier League guidelines.

Manchester City are accused of:

• 54x Failure to provide accurate financial information 2009/10 to 2017/18.
• 14x Failure to provide accurate details for player and manager payments from 2009/10 to 2017/18.
• 5x Failure to comply with UEFA's rules including Financial Fair Play (FFP) 2013/14 to 2017/18.
• 7x Breaching Premier League's PSR rules 2015/16 to 2017/18.
• 35x Failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations December 2018 - February 2023.

Could Man City face relegation if found guilty?

Nobody can say for certain. Given the extraordinary nature of this case, the potential sanctions if City are found to have breached the rules could be limitless, with every option remaining on the table.

Demotion remains a possibility - though it appears an improbable outcome - alongside the potential removal of their titles, transfer restrictions, points penalties and monetary fines. Football finance specialist Kieran Maguire told the Manchester Evening News in April: "We don't know if Manchester City are innocent or they'll be proven guilty of any of the charges.

"There'll likely be a further wait before the tariff is announced and we find out whether it's a financial penalty or a points deduction; nuclear option which would be kicking them out of the league but I think most people think it's unlikely."

Why has the resolution taken so long?

Simply put, the sheer volume of allegations and gravity of the accusations explains why this case has dragged on. When contrasting City's situation with the proceedings against Nottingham Forest and Everton previously, Maguire outlined the distinctions.

"The Forest and Everton cases were, to a certain extent, very clear-cut. They were an open-and-shut case," Maguire told the BBC. "There was 50,000 pieces of evidence put forward by both parties.

"In the case of Manchester City, you're going to have to multiply that by probably a factor of 10, so we could be looking at half a million pieces of evidence, which have to be reflected upon by the three people in the commission.

"They're also in demand in their own jobs so trying to get them around a table on a regular basis isn't necessarily easy and that's why eight months later we're still not really further down the road in terms of a conclusion to the evidence referral and then making a verdict."

What have Man City said?

Following the announcement of the charges in February 2023, City released a strongly-worded statement rejecting all allegations and expressing their "surprise" at the Premier League's accusations.

City claimed they welcome the independent commission, citing their "comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" supporting their alleged innocence. "As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all," the statement concluded.

Last September, Pep Guardiola expressed that he was "happy" the case was commencing, before implying that all other Premier League clubs were hoping to see City penalised.

What has the Premier League said?

Richard Masters, the Premier League chief, declined to reveal the commencement date of the hearing when questioned by a Government panel at the start of 2024, citing that the case involved private entities.

Elaborating on his inability to provide a date, Masters told the BBC: "Quite simply, it's not within our rules to be able to do so.

"What we do is we publish charges when they are made and we publish decisions when they are made. The bit in between is managed by an independent panel and they're very clear that they want that process to be confidential."

In late July 2025, Masters was once again queried about a decision. "You can ask but our rules are very clear, it's a confidential process so I can't give any information on timing or anything like that," he informed NBC.

"I can't add anything on that."

Following comments from former Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy in August, criticising the length of the process, Masters responded: "The only point where I can speak publicly about it is when a decision has been handed down.

"I can't speculate about why or when, that's all I can say really. Daniel is not in the same position as me and I can't talk about it."