Man City ‘in the dark’ over potential Premier League relegation

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 19 Nov 2025 17:00 GMT
• 5 min read

News

Manchester City have no idea when they will learn the outcome of their trial for 115 alleged breaches of Premier League regulations

There had been reports recently that a verdict in Man City's trial could finally be delivered in November.

But the international break has now come and gone without any news on Man City's innocence or guilt and punishment.

What did Stefan Borson say?

Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson says that Man City and everyone else are completely in the dark over when to expect any news.

“It looks to me as if they really have very little control of the process from the panel. They didn’t put in place the sorts of deadlines that maybe they should have done," Borson told Football Insider.

“That’s left them very much in the dark as to when the decision is coming, and in that scenario, you have just got to carry on the business because what can you do?

“You can’t just sit around pausing everything. You have to make decisions, make progress and go about your business, so that’s what they’re doing.

“I do think it’s going to be very complicated timing wise to be putting the decision out during the season,” said Borson.

“Also, if you look at it from a timing perspective, you start to put it out in December, we all know that the world slows down mid-December. People go into Christmas mode. And again, this does not feel like something that can be thrown into that mix.

“I mean, ordinarily you would definitely have expected it to be out by now. You definitely would have expected it to be before the end of the year.

“If it doesn’t come in this international break, then honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think there’s any clear understanding as to why it would not be out by now.”

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire said earlier this year that he believes Man City will be relegated if they are found guilty of their alleged 115 breaches of Premier League financial rules.

An independent hearing concluded in December 2024 following a four-year investigation conducted by UEFA.

Man City have denied any wrongdoing, but the club have been accused of failing to provide accurate financial information from 2009 to 2018, and failing to co-operate from 2018 to 2023.

City have won eight Premier League titles and 24 trophies in total since the Abu Dhabi United Group purchased the club in 2008, spending over €2.5 billion on new players in the process.

However, according to Maguire, they will be relegated from the Premier League if the trial results in a guilty verdict.

"A points deduction would be the most likely outcome should the club be found guilty,” Maguire said on the Football on Trial: The Manchester City Charges podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live.

"As for the quantum of points deduction, if Everton were initially given a 10 points deduction for going around about £10/12 million over the limits in one particular season, I think, in order to set an example to the rest of football, it's got to act as a deterrent.

"We'll probably be looking at somewhere in the region of 60 to 100 points, which would effectively guarantee relegation out of the Premier League and into the lower tiers of football in the EFL."

READ MORE: Man City's 10 most expensive transfers of all time

David Ornstein, though, reported in the spring that Man City are confident that they won’t receive anything more than a fine when the verdicts are announced.

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