Copyright manchestereveningnews
Manchester City could well discover the verdict from their Premier League charges case in the November international break. Over two-and-a-half years on from the club being charged with the 115 alleged breaches of league rules, an outcome is now reputedly close. City 's weeks-long hearing started in mid-September last year, and the anniversary of its conclusion will be in early December. However, a decision seems likely to be forthcoming before that date, potentially during the upcoming international break in the middle of next month. That will notably be the penultimate time Premier League football pauses this season, with the next one not coming until March. The i Paper claims a source with insider knowledge of how arbitration cases work told them legal experts are preparing for a verdict to come in mid-November. They also quote a source who claimed that votes on financial fair play , scheduled for later next month, could be "totally overshadowed" by the case. The outlet claims that several figures at Premier League clubs believe a decision will be made by the end of this year at the latest. In addition, their source is also quoted as saying: "It's gone very quiet and because it's been going on for so long it's almost been forgotten about, but all hell could break loose when it lands." The report claims that over 250,000 documents were pored over as part of the case. Lawyers are said to assume that four weeks of deliberation are necessary for every week a hearing lasts. As the report outlines, that was the first case of Everton 's profitability and sustainability, which ran for five days. Applying that to the City's charges would make their reputedly 12-week case take 48 weeks, making it early November. The former City legal advisor Stefan Borson said on talkSPORT back in the middle of this month: "I think the simple reality is that neither party, as of the end of last week, has had the decision of the panel. This is not a case where they've both had the decision and the sort of negotiations and settlement discussions going on in the background. It's very, very simple. They have not had the decision of the panel as of yet. "I do think now there's no real excuse for a further delay. Even if they were busy on other matters, and they would have been, then I think it would be really quite extraordinary that there's been no timetable set with them and no arrangement set with them in terms of the payment of their time over these last ten months to produce the decision. "I think on any basis, ten months is enough to produce even a very, very detailed 400 or 500-page decision on this case, and I think it is imminent. I know I have said that before multiple times in this room, but I did think that there was a very good chance that it would have come out for this international window. "I think there's a very good chance it will come out in the next international window, and I really can't see it going into 2026. I just cannot see it extending beyond the year. I think it is almost out. "Why has it not dropped into those inboxes as of yet? I don't know; it may well have done, in the last 24 hours, but certainly as of the end of last week, it was not a case of secret discussions or secret settlement discussions. It's just very, very simple. They had not received the decision." Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis. Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day’s biggest stories. And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts , and you can also watch along on YouTube .
