'Rules are very clear' - Premier League CEO Richard Masters gives firm response to Man City 115 FFP charges question as wait for trial verdict drags on

A protracted saga saw City stung with at least 115 charges in February 2023. That revelation came on the back of an investigation into supposed monetary mismanagement at the Etihad Stadium over the course of a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.

An independent hearing concluded in late 2024, but no verdict has been delivered as yet. Various punishments have been speculated on - ranging from points deductions to transfer embargoes via expulsion from the English top-flight - but a final resolution remains some way off.

It has been suggested that the case could drag on well into the 2025-26 campaign, with a ruling potentially being delivered during the second international break that arrives in early October.

Masters is giving little away when it comes to the Premier League’s stance, telling NBC Sports during the Summer Series of fixtures in the United States: “You can ask but unfortunately our rules are very clear; it's a confidential process. So I really can't give any information out on timing or anything like that, there's nothing more I can add. Sorry about that.”

City have maintained their innocence throughout, insisting that they have done nothing wrong, and are expected to drag the process out even further through appeals if they are stung with penalties that are considered to be overly harsh.