Fans of Liverpool, Arsenal and a number of clubs will be watching with bated breaths as the football “trial of the century” is ongoing.
Manchester City, who have won the Premier League in the last four seasons and have dominated the English football scene in the last decade and a half, are currently under trial for PSR breaches.
The Premier League accused the Cityzens of breaking financial fair play rules over a stretch, racking up 115 charges in the process. These breaches stretch to their Roberto Mancini days when they were rebuilding after being bought by the UAE-backed City Football Group.
After years in panels and hearings, the case is now in a mega hearing as the Premier League and a coalition of clubs are gearing up to fight City to ensure that they face punishment for the charges, which can only be alleged until the verdict is reached at the end of the trial.
Of the 115 charges, 80 are for breaches of the regulations between 2009 and 2018, while a further 35 relate to failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation.
With City winning eight league titles since 2012, including six of the last seven, a guilty verdict could prompt a slew of compensation claims from rival top-flight clubs.
They could also face points deductions across all seasons which could grant the title in those seasons to the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal who have challenged City the most in the period under consideration.
Meanwhile, David Bernstein, who was chairman of City between 1998 and 2003, has expressed worry over the trial.
Bernstein told Sky Sports: “I am not surprised it has got to this stage.
“There are 115 charges, they cover a wide period of time, and on the surface they are serious charges and have to be answered. In a way, they should have got this resolved somewhat earlier but these things do take time.”
Bernstein, 81, added: “I am a City fan, as well as being an ex-chairman, and I am worried. On the surface they look to be serious charges. City will have the best lawyers, they will defend themselves as they absolutely have the right to do and we will see, this is really heavy stuff.
“What is great is that the club has come from where it was – it was a club that was underperforming for many years – to become arguably the greatest performing club of all-time with four Premier League [titles] in a row.
“To have the possibility of that being tarnished is really sad, but we will see what happens. We may find that they are not guilty of these things.”
