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Prediction of Man City 115 FFP charges is made while Premier League opponents wait

Even less likely is an enforced relegation, according to sports finance specialist Rob Wilson, who maintains he does not see the Premier League’s independent panel considering all 115 Financial Fair Play (FFP) claims against Manchester City.

More than a year ago, City was accused of violating 115 times the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) of the Premier League from 2009 to 2018. There was conjecture that the Manchester team would be immediately demoted if found guilty because the charge was unprecedented for any club.

The Blues have consistently maintained their innocence in the face of the accusations made against them. In the meantime, both Everton and Nottingham Forest have been charged by the Premier League with breaches of the same rules on a smaller scale.

The Toffees were docked six points after appeal and Forest have lost four points but announced on Monday evening that they would also be appealing the ruling. In an interview with Grosvenor Sport, Wilson eased concerns that City fans might have about their club dropping into the Championship or below.

He explained: “I think we will get the first sight of Manchester City’s legal proceedings in the autumn, but that will be when the case starts, not when it finishes. Manchester City are richer than the Premier League and therefore will buy the best lawyers and the best accountants to try and get them out of this situation.

“It will probably last years and years and years if indeed it ever gets resolved. Manchester City will wrap the Premier League up in so much litigation that it will just become boring and laborious and I think it will fizzle out.

“That’s the kind of travesty with it when you take Everton, Forest and potentially Leicester they are single breaches being dealt with quite quickly. You need to multiply that by 115. If it takes three months to do one charge, you know, just 115 multiplied by three and you start to get a sense of the scale of what’s going on.

“The Nottingham Forest verdict report was 25,000 words so 25,000 words multiplied by 115, that’s a lot of writing and a lot of paperwork to get through. I think ultimately that’s why it’s taken so long. It looks like we might never reach a conclusion just by the scale of it.

“It could become financially too risky for the Premier League to continue. If we boil 115 charges down there are probably 30 to 35 that are really serious relating to overspending.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they start to resolve some of the other charges that are on the outskirts of the main case.” While the prospect of the case potentially never being solved may please some, the reality is that this will also mean City would never be able to clear their name with the charges forever dangling over them.

When asked to make a prediction as to how the matter will be resolved, Wilson concluded: “There is technically no limit to the punishment Manchester City could face, they could look to Saracens in rugby union and see 30 points and an immediate relegation. However, I cannot envisage the Premier League winning a case against Man City that would relegate them, they might agree on a 20-point deduction and could still end up qualifying for the Champions League.”