MANCHESTER: With Manchester City’s hearing into their 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules set to begin on Monday, manager Pep Guardiola has said he is looking forward to the decision by an independent commission.

The hearing, which could last about two months with a verdict expected by season’s end, starts amid a stretch of six games in two weeks in three competitions for the four-times reigning league champions, who host Brentford on Saturday.

“It starts soon and then [hopefully] finishes soon. An independent panel will decide and I am looking forward to the decision,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday.

He said there was no talk among his players about the hearing’s potential impact.

“I am not a lawyer. [Striker] Erling [Haaland] is not a lawyer,” Guardiola said, adding that City will accept the verdict. “Everyone is innocent until proven guilty.”

City’s alleged breaches of rules relating to the provision of accurate financial records go back to the 2009-10 campaign.

The club are also charged with failing to comply with rules requiring clubs to follow UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations from the 2013-14 to 2017-18 seasons and failing to follow rules on Profitability and Sustainability from 2015-16 to 2017-18.

City could face penalties such as a points deduction or relegation if found guilty. Everton and Nottingham Forest had points deducted last season for rule breaches.

“I know there will be more rumours, new specialists about the sentences,” he added. “We’re going to see. I know what people are looking forward to, what they expect. I know what I read for many, many years. So we’ll see.”

The Premier League brought the charges in February 2023 but there has been a lengthy wait for the case to proceed before an independent commission.

In the meantime, City have lifted two more Premier League titles and the club’s first ever Champions League last year.

Since a 2008 takeover from Sheikh Mansour, a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family, City have been transformed into the dominant force in English football.

They have won eight of the last 13 Premier League titles, including a record four consecutive league crowns in the past four seasons.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024