Man City FFP: Expert drops ‘complete disaster’ warning with PL ‘desperate’ – ‘nobody wants that’
A football finance expert claims there could be a “complete disaster” with Manchester City’s financial fair play case if one scenario plays out.
Man City have faced over 100 charges over alleged breaches of the Premier League’s FFP rules since being referred to an independent commission at the start of 2023.
The Premier League felt it necessary to launch a case against Man City after investigating their alleged conduct between 2009 and 2018 and if found guilty, Pep Guardiola’s side faces a huge fine, points deduction, transfer ban or expulsion to a lower division.
This case has already dragged on longer than most anticipated and it remains to be seen when this tiresome process will conclude.
City have been embroiled in a separate legal fight against the Premier League as they have campaigned for Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules to be removed.
Man City were eventually successful with the APT case, but a verdict is being mulled over with the FFP situation after the hearing finished towards the end of last year.
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It was initially suspected that the FFP verdict would be announced in March, but there has not been a concrete update for months and the case could even drag into next season.
Former Man City financial advisor Stefan Borson has explained why he thinks a verdict is “close”, with the Premier League “desperate” to avoid one scenario.
“I think City must be quite close… I think there’s been a lot of misinformation about that situation,” Borson told talkSPORT.
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“If you have a 12-week trial, it takes a long time for the decision to come out. In the outside world, it could easily take 12 or 18 months in a High Court equivalent.
“This week felt possible. I thought that if it didn’t happen in the international window that we had in April, that the parties would find a way to hold it over until the end of the season so that it didn’t distract.
“We’re now in a zone where, commercially, if there’s any influence at all from the parties – the Premier League or the club – they would want to get that decision out during the close season.
“What’s the alternative? That it comes out in that three-week period after the Club World Cup, but before the start of the season. And that’s sub-optimal.
“We’re getting very close to a situation where, if it doesn’t come out in the next couple weeks and doesn’t come out during the Club World Cup, you’re getting very close to the start of the season. Nobody’s going to want that. That is a complete disaster.”