Man City 115 charges case: “Most incredible delay” highlighted two years on from ‘trial of the century’ hearing

By Oliver Thomas | 17 Sep 2026 08:40, Last updated: 17 Sep 2026 08:46

Frustrations continue to grow as Manchester City await the outcome of the hearing into their alleged Premier League financial rules breaches.

The Citizens were charged by the Premier League in February 2023 with breaking financial rules between 2009 and 2018 following a four-year investigation.

Man City are alleged to have failed to provide accurate financial information relating to sponsorship income, revenue and operating costs, as well as full details of players' wages over a six-season period and the earnings of former manager Roberto Mancini during his time at the club.

The eight-time Premier League winners have also been accused by England’s top division of failing to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules during a five-year period and are said to have not fully co-operated with the Premier League's investigation.

From the very beginning, Man City have emphatically denied the charges levelled against them.

Wednesday marked two years to the day since an independent commission hearing began to examine more than 100 charges laid against the Sky Blues.

That 12-week trial concluded in December 2024 and the independent commission is yet to publicly announce a verdict.

Leading sports barrister Nick De Marco has highlighted the "most incredible delay" in reaching an outcome in Man City’s high-profile legal case that has previously been dubbed ‘the trial of the century’.

A post on social media from De Marco read: "It is a most incredible delay. So much for those who argue that one of the advantages of sports arbitration is it is speedier and more efficient than using the courts..."

De Marco has worked on several high-profile football cases, including on behalf of Leicester City in their dispute with the Premier League over alleged rule breaches, but he is not involved in Man City’s current legal battle.

Lord David Pannick - another barrister at the same firm, Blackstone Chambers - has been hired to work for Man City to fight their legal case.

Last month, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters admitted that a verdict on Man City’s legal case "has taken longer than expected", but insisted that "there's nothing further I can add.”

"Our rules are very clear about that - I have to keep everything confidential until we're ready to hand down a decision and be clear about it,” Masters added.

"I can't give any update on timing or what's happening. There's only one available route through this, which is to allow the process to take its course.”

The reasons behind this lengthy delay in announcing a verdict remain unknown, but we are now at a point where those involved may lose credibility while several fans have already begun to lose interest and trust.

Sharing his thoughts on the delay last month, Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick told BBC Sport: "It has gone on for a while. Everybody - the league and the teams - would want the clarity around what's going to happen next.

"But it's not something that I can control. It's not something that I can speculate on, and I just hope that there is a solution very quickly."

In the meantime, Man City will continue to operate as a business, and Enzo Maresca’s side will ensure that their focus remains firmly on footballing matters rather than off-field speculation.

The Citizens will face Norwich City in the EFL Cup third round on Thursday before they attempt to make it five wins out of five in the Premier League when they play host to Sunderland on Sunday.

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