Manchester City’s lawyers arrived at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC) on Monday as a hearing to examine 115 Premier League charges issued against the club began.
Lord Pannick KC from Blackstone Chambers, who is leading City’s legal team, was pictured arriving at the IDRC, close to St Paul’s Cathedral in central London. The hearing is reported to have been scheduled for 10 weeks, with the independent commission’s verdict not expected until the new year.
The charges facing City, who won a fourth straight Premier League title in May, date back as far as the 2009-10 season. It is thought the club, who are also accused of failing to co-operate with an investigation, could face a range of punishments including a severe points penalty or even expulsion from the Premier League if found guilty.
City were charged by the league in February 2023 after a long investigation into allegations published by the German magazine Der Spiegel in autumn 2018. The club deny wrongdoing and have previously said they have a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” to support their stance.
City’s financial affairs have come under regular scrutiny since their takeover by Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008. In 2020 they were banned from European competition after being found guilty of breaking Uefa’s financial fair play rules, but successfully challenged that ruling at the court of arbitration for sport.