Man City FFP: Hearing start date set as Alan Shearer weighs in on relegation threat

The hearing into Manchester City’s alleged 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules will begin on Monday and relegation is a potential punishment.

The Cityzens are accused of financial impropriety spanning nine years from 2009 and as we saw last season, points deductions have been imposed on clubs for breaches.

As reported by The Daily Mail, the Premier League charged Man City with a failure to provide accurate financial information and a failure to provide accurate details for player and manager payments.

Previous reports suggested that the hearing would start in September and now the start date has been confirmed for Monday.

The most severe punishment Man City could face if found guilty is relegation, while points deductions and a fine are also possible.

Pep Guardiola’s side have always denied any wrongdoing and are defending their case at an independent enquiry.

Man City won the Premier League three times between 2009 and 2018, lifting the top division title in 2012, 2014 and 2018.

They currently sit joint-top of the table with Liverpool and will hope to lift their fifth-consecutive title this term.

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‘Virtually impossible’ to predict hearing outcome

Last season, Everton were docked eight points for two breaches of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (formerly Financial Fair Play or ‘FFP’) and Nottingham Forest were deducted four for one breach.

Leicester City were also at risk of a points deduction this season but they saw the charges against them dropped following an appeal to an independent committee.

Given that Everton and Forest’s breaches were small in comparison to those accused of Man City, relegation could be possible for the English champions if they are found guilty and the punishment is relative.

Alan Shearer has given his view on the proceedings, admitting that it’s difficult to predict the outcome of the hearing due to the complexity of the case.

“‘Man City’s hearing begins next week, and although we saw points deductions for Everton and Forest last season, we have recently seen that Leicester’s argument was upheld from the independent committee,” Shearer wrote, as cited by The Mail’s report.

“‘I haven’t got a clue what is going to happen to Man City. I think over the next weeks, months, or however long it’s going to take, none of us will know what’s going on, what’s happening behind those walls or what the verdict will be, if any.

“It’s just a matter of sitting tight and waiting, and then we will all have to make judgement when that comes. I think it’ll be a very long time before it comes out.

“We don’t know whether they’re going to be found guilty of any, a handful or all the charges, so in terms of trying to predict what’s going to happen, I think it’s virtually impossible.”

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