Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has told a meeting with other club bosses that their fight against the Premier League could take years to end. Sky News understand.
Soriano declined to answer questions from Sky News regarding the case as he left a private meeting of the executive board of the body of the European Football Clubs in Copenhagen.
But inside the room, the sources said Sky News that Soriano raised the case against City, referring to the interests of other clubs – without directly mentioning the guilty verdict for years of financial misconduct.
Soriano is understood to have referred to how eight years have passed since the allegations of misconduct began and how it will take much longer for a conclusion.
Sources say he expressed a determination to fight the case – with City able to appeal while there is a separate process that will determine the sanctions.
Sky Sports News understands that the process is moving into the appeals stage, after reports claimed that most of the allegations against the club for breaching Financial Fair Play rules were proven.
The Premier League and City have not denied that the club has been found guilty of most of the charges that were first brought against them in 2023.
Mayor Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a statement on Saturday: “The Premier League process still has a long way to go, and our belief and intention to prove the club’s innocence is as strong as when it began.”
City statement following recent reports
A City spokesman said on Friday: “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with important elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality.
“As such, Manchester City FC’s position remains in line with the club’s statement of February 2023.
“The club has diligently complied with due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would act as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”
City’s initial response to Premier League allegations
The city was charged in February 2023.
At the time, they responded with a statement, which said: “Manchester City FC is surprised by the release of these alleged breaches of Premier League Rules, particularly given the extensive engagement and large amount of detailed material provided to the EPL.
“The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially examine the totality of the irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.
“As such we expect this matter to be settled once and for all.”
