The ongoing legal battle of Man City with the Premier League over alleged Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches, now totalling 130 charges, remains shrouded in secrecy.
City, accused of violating FFP rules over nearly a decade, have firmly denied wrongdoing, claiming “irrefutable evidence” in their defense.
Despite the 19-month delay, the highly confidential hearing began in London, with a leaked location and photos of City’s top lawyer, David Pannick, reportedly earning £5000 per hour.
However, fans hoping for updates may be disappointed, as the hearing is expected to remain tightly sealed, with little information likely to surface anytime soon.
What has Wyness said?
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness, in conversation with Football Insider, explained exactly how the case will work:
“The secret location was leaked, there were photographs of the lawyers going in and the lead lawyer, David Pannick, is reportedly on £5,000 per-hour. But we’re not going to be hearing much. They have been very clear about that.
The chairman of the commission will only disclose things he wants to be disclosed, and there’ll be no further reporting. Of course in football, we’re all looking for leaks and, if there are no leaks, then people would be making up leaks, so we’re going to have to be very careful with the information coming out.”
This week, reports surfaced that several Premier League clubs are frustrated by the secrecy surrounding Manchester City’s FFP hearing.
Liverpool watch on Man City FFP scandal
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that justice must not only b present at the hearing. Wyness argued that public scrutiny would act as a deterrent, adding weight to any penalties and ensuring clubs understand the consequences of rule-breaking behaviour. He said,
“I do believe it should be transparent, because it would add to the penalty. If a club realised it would be dragged through the mud publicly, that might be another way to stop the behaviour we’re trying to fight against.
It will bore people for the next two months. The detail and minutiae will be incredible and very boring, but there will be bombshell moments.
I’ve been around these proceedings a couple of times, and they are very boring – it’s not great TV. However, I do believe that if we’re to enforce rules, then justice needs to be seen to be done.
There’s some value in having some reporters there and giving us an update on proceedings each day. That would be helpful and important.”
Liverpool twice lost out on the title to City by a point in 2019 and 2022, but these occasions fall outside of the nine-year period for which the charges relate. Therefore, those crowns are not at risk of being stripped from City.
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