As the Manchester derby approaches once again, the noise around English football is not only about goals, tactics, or bragging rights. Instead, the biggest talking point remains the same shadow that has followed Manchester City for years. The long-running case involving the club’s alleged breaches of Premier League rules refuses to go away, and a fresh update has now made it clear that the wait for answers could stretch even further into the future. What many fans hoped would be resolved long ago may now take at least another year, and possibly more, before the football world finally hears a verdict.
Manchester City and the Premier League have been locked in this legal battle since February 2023, when the league officially charged City with 115 breaches of its financial rules. From the moment the announcement was made, English football changed. Every City win, every trophy, every transfer, and every celebration has carried an invisible question mark. Nearly three years later, that question mark is still there, hanging heavily over the Etihad Stadium and the wider Premier League.
The charges themselves relate to a long period in Manchester City’s modern history, stretching from 2009 to 2018. During that time, City rose from being a club with ambition into a dominant force in English football. Titles followed, records were broken, and Pep Guardiola built one of the most feared teams the Premier League has ever seen. But alongside that rise came scrutiny, suspicion, and eventually formal accusations.
The Premier League claims that Manchester City failed to provide accurate financial information across multiple seasons. There are accusations of incorrect details surrounding player and manager payments, alleged failures to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules, and breaches of the Premier League’s own Profit and Sustainability Rules. On top of all that, a large portion of the charges relate to City’s alleged failure to cooperate fully with the league’s investigations between 2018 and 2023. While the headline number is 115, some sources insist the real figure is closer to 129 or even 130 separate breaches.
Manchester City have strongly denied every accusation. From the very beginning, the club has maintained that it has done nothing wrong. City insist that their defence is backed by what they describe as an irrefutable body of evidence. They believe the truth is on their side and that the Premier League’s case will eventually collapse under scrutiny. Yet belief alone does not end a legal process, and that is where the frustration lies.
A private hearing finally took place in front of an independent panel, running for ten weeks between September 2024 and December 2024. Many believed that once the hearing ended, the verdict would follow quickly. There were even reports suggesting the decision would be announced during the autumn international break. That break came and went. Nothing happened. Months passed. Still nothing.
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In February 2025, Pep Guardiola himself publicly suggested that the verdict would be known within a month. March came. March went. Silence. As time passed, optimism turned into confusion, and confusion slowly turned into fatigue. Fans began asking the same question again and again. When will this end?
As 2026 began, Guardiola once again admitted that he knew no more than anyone else. Speaking on New Year’s Day, he sounded tired, almost resigned to the situation. He said he did not know when the verdict would come, repeating the same answer fans and journalists had been given for years. His words reflected the wider mood around the club. Nobody seems to be in control of the timeline anymore.u
What makes the situation even more remarkable is that Manchester City have continued to operate like a club completely untouched by fear. Despite the serious charges hanging over them, City have remained aggressive in the transfer market. On January 16, they agreed a £20 million deal to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi. Earlier in the window, they completed the signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth for a massive £62.5 million fee.
These deals came on top of an already expensive summer window in 2025, when City spent £152 million on Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, and Marcus Bettinelli. Since the hearing concluded in December 2024, City’s spending on players has climbed close to £500 million. For many observers, this raises uncomfortable questions.
How can a club facing such serious allegations continue to spend so freely? Would a club truly expecting severe punishment be planning so confidently for the future? Or does this spending suggest that City believe the final outcome will not threaten their place at the top of English football?
The latest update only adds to the confusion. Shortly after news of Marc Guehi’s proposed move broke, respected journalist Miguel Delaney revealed that the case could still go on for at least another year. According to sources with direct knowledge of the process, there is no clear timeline for when the independent panel of three judges will even reach a decision. Outside of a very small inner circle, almost nobody knows what stage the process is truly at.
Even when a verdict eventually arrives, it is expected to focus only on liability. That means the panel would simply decide whether Manchester City are guilty or not. Punishment, if any, would come later. This alone could add months or even another year to the process. And if the verdict goes against City, an appeal is almost guaranteed. Appeals bring more delays, more legal fees, and more uncertainty.
The entire situation is made evn more astonishing by the length of the investigation itself. The Premier League’s examination of Manchester City’s finances has lasted around nine years. The hearing concluded in December 2024, and it was widely expected that a decision would follow by February 2025. Now, more than a year later, nobody is any closer to knowing the outcome.
Inside the Premier League, frustration is growing. Senior figures are said to be unhappy with how slowly the process is moving, but there is little they can do. Legal cases of this scale are complex, especially when both sides have vast resources. Any mistake could weaken the final verdict and open the door to endless appeals.
For rival clubs, the delay feels deeply unfair. Some believe that the integrity of the competition has already been damaged. Others worry that if City are eventually punished, it will come too late to correct past seasons. Titles cannot be replayed. Relegations cannot be undone. European qualification spots cannot be redistributed years later.
Manchester City fans are also trapped in a strange emotional space. On one hand, they continue to enjoy success on the pitch. On the other hand, they live with the constant fear that history could one day look back differently on this era. Every trophy celebration carries a quiet doubt. Will this still stand? Will it be questioned forever?
Pep Guardiola’s visible frustration is understandable. He has built a football machine that dominates England and Europe, yet his work is constantly overshadowed by legal headlines. Every press conference eventually turns back to the same topic. Every big match is framed by the same uncertainty. For a manager obsessed with football purity, it must feel exhausting.
The possible punishments, if City are found guilty, remain severe on paper. They include points deductions, heavy fines, and even expulsion from the Premier League. But as time passes, belief in the harshest outcomes is fading. Many now wonder whether English football has the courage to deliver truly dramatic consequences against one of its biggest and most successful clubs.
City’s long-term planning only adds to that doubt. Erling Haaland’s contract, signed in January 2025, runs until 2034. It is one of the most lucrative deals in sporting history. A club expecting chaos would not secure its biggest star for nearly a decade. Everything City do suggests confidence, not fear.
As the Manchester derby approaches, the football itself almost feels secondary. The match will be watched by millions, yet the conversation before and after will likely drift back to the same unresolved story. How long will this go on? Who benefits from the delay? And what does it say about the state of modern football?
For now, all that exists is waiting. Waiting for judges to decide. Waiting for lawyers to argue. Waiting for clarity that never seems to arrive. Manchester City continue to move forward, spending money, winning games, and building for the future. The Premier League continues to insist that the process must run its course. Fans continue to argue online, in pubs, and on matchdays.
The 115 charges case has become more than just a legal dispute. It is a test of football’s ability to police itself. It is a test of fairness, transparency, and credibility. And as each month passes without answers, that test grows harder to pass.
Whether the verdict comes in one year or three, one thing is certain. When the final decision is finally revealed, it will reshape English football forever. Until then, the silence remains, and the shadow over Manchester City refuses to lift.
