Manchester City could learn the outcome of their appeal in the 115 charges case around the third week of January – and a punishment could be set before then. The Premier League's own rules now impose a tight timetable on the case that has hung over the club since the charges were brought in February 2023.

City lodged their appeal at 7pm UK time on Thursday 1 October, the day before the deadline we reported when the verdict was delivered. In a statement on the club's website, City maintain their innocence. The club believes the commission's decision contains “clear, material errors of law, principle and fact” and is unsustainable.

Twelve weeks, five days, 30 days

According to Sky Sports, the process is as follows:

  • The appeal will be heard by a three-member appeal board. None of them can have served on the commission that ruled against City, and the chair should have experience as a judge.
  • Under the rules in force from this season, the appeal proceedings must be completed within twelve weeks. That points to the week before Christmas. The hearing itself can last no more than five days, held in a single block.
  • The board then has 30 days to deliver its ruling, taking it to around the third week of January.
  • Everything takes place behind closed doors until the outcome can be made public.
  • There is one possible source of delay. City could argue that the accelerated timetable does not apply because the case began before the rule was introduced. If the club succeeds in that argument, the appeal could drag on into 2027.

Punishment could be decided alongside the appeal

The question of punishment is a separate process. Sky Sports' chief correspondent Kaveh Solhekol writes that a sanctions hearing could be held while the appeal is ongoing. The same three-member panel that conducted the 42-day hearing in 2024 will determine the punishment. The Premier League board decides what the league's lawyers should seek, and both parties can appeal against the punishment. The other clubs are not parties to the hearing.

According to Sky Sports, City's rivals do not expect them to play in the Premier League next season if the appeal is unsuccessful. Many believe a points deduction is not enough if it only keeps City out of the top flight for one season. By comparison, the Premier League sought a twelve-point deduction for Everton for a single breach in 2023. Everton were deducted ten points, reduced to six on appeal.

It has to be done this season, because Man City have to feel it next season.

Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports

What City were found guilty of

The commission concluded that, from the 2009/10 season to 2017/18, City used fictitious agreements with commercial partners to channel money from their owners into the club. Revenue was artificially inflated by £830 million, and the club breached both Premier League and UEFA financial rules. Three of the four charges of failing to cooperate with the investigation were also upheld.

On the pitch, the picture is very different. City have won all five matches and top the table. On Sunday, the team play their first match since the verdict, away to Liverpool, and Erling Haaland has urged everyone around the club to stick together.