Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano has warned that the club’s legal battle with the Premier League could continue for years after an independent commission found the club guilty on 114 of 115 charges brought against it.
Speaking at a board meeting of European Football Clubs in Copenhagen, Soriano told fellow football executives that Manchester City strongly disagrees with the commission’s findings and intends to challenge them through the appeals process and, if necessary, further legal action.
The dispute has already taken eight years to reach this stage, and Soriano indicated that City does not expect the matter to be resolved quickly.
“It has taken eight years to get here – and it’s going to take a lot more time,” Soriano was quoted as saying by The Times.
The commission’s findings now leave the club facing a separate process to determine what punishment, if any, should be imposed. A sanctions hearing is expected to take place in the coming weeks, with the Premier League able to put forward the punishment it believes is appropriate.
Among the possible sanctions is a points deduction, which has already prompted debate over whether a sufficiently large penalty could result in City’s relegation from the Premier League. Other potential punishments include a fine or transfer ban, while expulsion from the competition represents the most severe possibility outlined in the case.
For City, however, the legal battle is unlikely to end with the sanctions decision.
The club is expected to challenge any punishment that is imposed, adding another stage to a case that has already stretched across much of a decade. City’s position is that the commission’s conclusions should be overturned, and the club is prepared to pursue the available avenues to do so.
Chelsea’s recent case could also become part of City’s argument as the club challenges any eventual punishment. The circumstances of the two cases are not necessarily identical, but City could seek to use the outcome of Chelsea’s proceedings as part of its defence over the severity of any sanction.
The scale of the possible punishment means the next stage of the case will be closely watched across English football. Yet Soriano’s comments make clear that, regardless of what the commission decides, the dispute itself may have much further to run.
