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Manchester City could receive a verdict on its alleged financial breaches before Christmas, according to the club's former advisor.
The Manchester club and the Premier League have been in limbo since last December, awaiting a decision on the 115 charges, with continuous delays prolonging the saga. Liverpool fans are eager to hear the result of the outcome, as a punishment - such as a points deduction - could impact them and other Premier League clubs if City is found guilty.
Yet City has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and there's no reason to suggest the club will be punished at this moment in time.
The investigation into City's alleged 115 violations of the Premier League's financial regulations concluded in December 2024 after a 12-week tribunal, but the independent commission has yet to make its findings public.
City, like everyone else, has been kept in suspense, with manager Pep Guardiola stating in February that the verdict was due in "one month." Later in the year, it was speculated that October might bring the resolution.
Stefan Borson, City's former advisor, stated that the verdict had been "imminent for some time" and "could come out before Christmas." He also shed light on why the process has been so drawn out.
In a conversation with talkSPORT, Borson said neither City nor the Premier League were to blame for the slow progress. Instead, he suggested that the commission members should have been paid to focus solely on the case to expedite the verdict.
The deliberations remain cloaked in mystery, as Borson explained: "Well, look, nobody knows because even the parties themselves expected to have been told by now. All the lawyers are surprised there is no decision at this stage, and that's on both sides.
"I'll tell you who's holding it up: the panel making the decision. They hold the pen. They are the people who everybody waits for to deliver the decision.
"Well, nobody knows. We know the long list - you can cobble it together from all of the people on the judicial panel - but we don't know who is on that list. We can make some guesses that it's probably two lawyers and maybe one accountant.
"But we don't know who is on the panel and what they were told to produce by when.
"We can now assume, I think, given how long it has been and that everybody is so surprised that they don't have a decision, that actually there's very little guidance given to them, and they weren't effectively paid for their time from the moment the case ended.
"Arguably, the Premier and Manchester City together, with the panel, should have agreed a process whereby the hearing ends and then effectively they are exclusively paid to deliberate and produce, over let's say three months or at worst six months, the decision during the closed season."
City claims it has a "comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" to demonstrate its innocence. The allegations concern supposed financial fair play violations between 2009 and 2018 and the alleged subsequent failure to cooperate with an investigation.
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