‘Been very naughty’ – Man City FFP case will ‘explode’ whatever the outcome as Premier League champions wait on verdict in 115-charge case

The reigning Premier League champions are still waiting on a verdict to be delivered in their long-running Financial Fair Play saga. There are at least 115 charges, with it suggested that number could be as high as 130, hanging over the Etihad Stadium.

City stand accused of breaching regulations over a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. They have always maintained their innocence, but various punishments continue to be speculated on – ranging from points penalties to demotion out of the top tier.

Whatever the outcome, football finance expert Stefan Borson expects the fallout to be explosive. He has told talkSPORT: "It’s very likely to be an extensive document, possibly hundreds of pages long, with an executive summary right at the front. There are going to be a lot of nuances, a lot of revelations. If it’s everything that we’ve expected about the number of charges that have been presented, it’s possible that a lot of that stuff dropped off.

"Even if the outcome is simple, even in the best-case scenario for Man City, where most of it is dismissed, let’s say only cooperation is found against them, there will still be things in there that people will want to spin a certain way, their enemies around the table, shall we say. They will still want to make certain suggestions about why the Premier League case didn’t succeed.

"On the other side, of course, if the worst comes to the worst for City, then there’s going to be some unbelievable stuff in there. It will likely be forced to say that a lot of people have been very naughty and have lied significantly and on multiple occasions to multiple parties over many years.

"Either way, it’s going to explode upon release, and how are people going to process a document like this? In terms of a decision and judgment, this might be one of the most scrutinized judgments in the history of the world. Because people don’t usually read decisions outside of legal analysis, but most of the world is interested in football, so it’s going to be interesting to take a look at."

There has been no word on when a definitive ruling should be expected, with Borson doubting that an announcement is on the way despite a break in domestic action being reached that would have given those involved time in which to digest and react to any sanctions. He added: "You would think their preferences would be this week or next week, during the international break. That would make sense. There are a few indicators that it’s not imminent."

City do not appear to be overly concerned by the findings, having spent big again in the winter transfer window, but are aware that any points deduction could drop them into relegation danger and see questions asked of whether star turns working on lucrative contracts will hang around for any rebuild.