'A disgrace!' - Gary Neville slams delay over Manchester City's 115 charges and brands prolonged case a 'stain' on football

City were first charged with breaching the Premier League's financial rules in February 2023 before a hearing ran from September to December last year to determine what the punishment, if any, should be. A verdict has repeatedly been delayed, something Manchester United legend Neville believes is an "absolute joke".

He said on The Overlap Fan Debate: "That Manchester City case is a disgrace; it’s an absolute stain to the game. I have a lot of admiration for City, but I don’t buy into this theory that clubs do really well, and City have, but it is still a stain to the game. It has just been dragging on for years and years, it’s an absolute joke. Yes, City have been defending themselves, but they’ve been pushing it so far into the long grass that you end up losing the will to live on it and you forget about it. It just needs to be dealt with.”

Football fans are growing increasingly annoyed at how long this is taking, with many fearing that City will get off scot-free. Conversely, Everton and Nottingham Forest received punishments for financial breaches in a matter of months, but these criminal charges against City are taking a lot longer to sort out. The longer this goes on, the worse this looks for the Premier League.

City boss Pep Guardiola previously said a verdict will happen by March but that time has come and gone, and now reports suggest this could drag on until next season or even 2026.