Manchester City 115 charges case verdict ‘next month’ says Pep Guardiola

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says the club expects to learn the outcome of the hearing into its 115 charges of alleged Premier League financial rule breaches “in one month”.

The hearing took place in front of an independent commission between September and December.

If City – who strongly deny the charges – are found guilty, the commission has unlimited powers, which include a massive points deduction or relegation.

In September, Guardiola, who earlier this season signed a two-year contract extension to 2027, said City’s critics wanted the Premier League champions “wiped from the face of the Earth”.

No-one has stated when a decision will be reached, although it was widely expected to be in the first quarter of 2025.

Guardiola confirmed this as he responded to a question about whether City’s record £180m investment in the transfer market during the winter window was triggered by the possibility of City being hit by a transfer ban.

“In one month, I think there will be a verdict and a sentence,” he said. “After that, we will see my opinion of what happened so far.”

City brought in four new players over the past month.

It was the second-biggest spend in the mid-season window by a Premier League club, behind Chelsea’s £275m splurge in 2023, and was more than the rest of England’s top flight spent between them.

Guardiola denied there was any more to it than merely strengthening a squad that has struggled badly compared to previous seasons. His side sit fifth in the league table, 15 points behind leaders Liverpool.

He also stressed it was made possible by City making a profit for the past three seasons, partly due to the sales of players such as Cole Palmer to Chelsea and Liam Delap to Ipswich for a combined £57.5m.

“My words will not convince people,” he said. “I know with this club it is always ‘just about the money’.

“But in the past five years, we are the last among the top six for net spend. Even after what we have spent in this transfer window, we are away from Chelsea, (Manchester) United, Arsenal, Tottenham. Even from Liverpool. The only reason why is we sell a lot in the last seasons.”