Man City ‘unlikely to succeed’ in appeal against 115 charges after Nottingham Forest verdict
Man City are facing 115 charges for alleged breaches of Premier League FFP
Man City have been warned that any appeals made against their 115 FFP charges are “unlikely to succeed” amid claims “expulsion is on the table” for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Nottingham Forest failed in their appeal against their four-point deduction this week, and though Everton successfully reduced their total punishment of 17 points to eight, the appeal horse may well have bolted ahead of City’s case.
Each of the 115 individual charges, dating back to 2009, will be heard by an independent panel before City are given an opportunity to appeal the final verdicts.
Still waiting on the case date
Premier League chief Richard Masters has insisted that the case against Man City over the alleged breaches of financial rules “will resolve itself in the near future”.
Asked whether a second City success while the charges remained outstanding would damage European league football, Masters said: “It’s not for the football authorities to start being selective about who they would like to win the league.
“The key point is that you’ve got that jeopardy until the final day. Who knows where we will be on May 19?”
Masters, speaking at the European Leagues general assembly, added: “Obviously we can’t comment on the case, the date has been set and the case will resolve itself at some point in the near future, and I cannot make any further comment on it.”
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Nottingham Forest appeal deals blow to Man City
Sources have now told Football Insider that future appeals are “unlikely to succeed” on the back of Forest’s unsuccessful appeal this week.
Section 84 of Forest’s verdict states that “allegations of infelicities of language or errors which are not material to the ultimate decision add to the complexity and costs of proceedings and are rarely likely to lead to a successful challenge of a decision.”
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness, who now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs, claimed on Friday that “expulsion is on the table” for Man City – who strongly maintain their innocence – if they are found guilty of their charges.
Wyness said: “I think expulsion is on the table for Man City. How far down the football pyramid they could go, I don’t know.
“But I think it’s a genuine possibility because the Premier League have set the bar so high.
“They tried to take 17 points from Everton, before appeals – that’s a big number for pretty minor PSR transgressions.
“If they are found guilty of 115 charges, and they’ve obstructed the process – they’ve got no grounds for appeal on co-operation.
“We’re looking at expulsion, it’s got to be on the table. We’re looking at a battle royale, that’s for sure.”