Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol is back to answer the big questions surrounding the Premier League’s long-running dispute in their 115 charges against Manchester City.
Reports last Friday said an independent tribunal has reached decisions in the case between the league and the club, and Sky Sports News understands the process is moving to the appeal stage.
Here’s the latest on developments since, which have included chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak penning an open letter to the club’s fans over the weekend and the news that the Premier League’s case over the alleged breaches could still have years to run…
Why has the Premier League not commented?
Because it’s a private and confidential process.
I’ve heard people criticise the Premier League for not issuing a statement, but their hands are tied behind their back.
They have to respect the process, which says that everything has to be private and confidential.
That’s the reason why Premier League CEO Richard Masters has given nothing away when he has been asked about this subject. He’s always said there isn’t much he can say, he just has to let the process play out.
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When can we expect to hear an official judgement?
What we got on Friday was a leak. It’s been widely reported that Man City have lost the majority of the 115 charges they faced, but there has been no official confirmation that this is the case.
The two parties involved, the Premier League and Man City, both have to agree for any judgement to be released.
There is no definitive answer about when the judgment will be released – we just have to be patient.
How serious is Friday’s leak to the process?
I think the issue of the leak could be serious if City felt they were forced to take this all the way, for instance, to the High Court. They could argue that this process has not been fair and impartial because of what happened on Friday.
Man City have argued something like this before, in their case against UEFA they brought up the fact there had been leaks to the media.
Many well-respected sports lawyers are refusing to comment on this case at the moment because they have not seen the judgement.
The judgement will probably be hundreds of pages long, it will take a while to digest, and only then will we all be in a position where we can comment on it.
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Could other clubs sue if the Premier League’s charges are proven?
We’re into the realm of hypotheticals but if the charges are proven, I’m sure clubs will be contacted by lawyers who want to represent them and help them seek compensation.
We’ve seen in the past clubs sue other clubs for compensation so it is something that could happen but you have to remember that the Premier League is made up of 20 clubs.
Going forward, those 20 members have to think about the Premier League as a whole as well, so we have to wait and see how much appetite there is to take legal action against Manchester City if that possibility arises in the future.
Man City previously took UEFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to appeal. Why couldn’t that happen here?
The Premier League regulations don’t include the possibility of being able to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The rules are very clear. There is an independent tribunal. After the judgement of the independent tribunal, both sides can go to an appeal board.
The appeal would be heard by a new three-person panel. After that you effectively reach the end of the road because you can’t go to CAS.
Having said that, if you have some serious issues with the way the process was conducted, then you do have the option, for instance, of going to the High Court and arguing it was unfair.
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What did former City boss Roberto Mancini talk about on Sunday?
This is all to do with an allegation published by German outlet Der Spiegel in 2018. They said they had documents which they claimed showed that when Roberto Mancini was the Man City manager, he had two contracts.
These emails apparently alleged that Mancini was being paid £1.45m net to be the manager of Man City, while at the same time he also had a contract which was worth £1.75m a year to coach four days a year in Abu Dhabi at a club called Al Jazira.
Man City have always said these emails have been taken out of context and are part of a wider effort to discredit the club.
