'I find it incredible' - Why Man City could avoid severe FFP punishment of points deduction or Premier League expulsion in 115-charge case as Pep Guardiola's side given 'would've been done by now' reassurance

WHAT HAPPENED?

There have been at least 115 charges hanging over the Etihad Stadium since February 2023, following a lengthy investigation into supposed monetary mismanagement by the eight-time Premier League champions.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

An independent hearing was completed late in 2024, but no verdict has been delivered as yet. That has kept the rumour mill ticking over when it comes to potential punishments - which range from the stripping of points to transfer embargoes and demotion from the English top-flight.

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DID YOU KNOW

It has been a case of business as usual for City as they wait on a ruling - which may yet be appealed - and the length of time it has taken for a decision to be reached is considered to be a nod towards the Blues getting off lightly.

WHAT MILLS SAID

That is an opinion shared by Danny Mills, with the former City defender - who was speaking in association with William Hill Vegas - telling GOAL when asked if Pep Guardiola’s side are likely to start the 2025-26 campaign on minus points: “I don’t think so, in all honesty. I know it’s incredibly complicated and there is a lot of devil in the detail. Nottingham Forest, Everton, Leicester, all got punished with one or two charges, not much more than that. City have 115! Even if two of those were stickable, surely they would have been punished by now.

“They can’t all be under the same rap or punishment. I just find it incredible. Three teams - Sheffield United as well you can put into that - get punished with two or three charges and that happened in weeks, rather than months. One hundred and fifteen charges and it’s rumbling on three, four years later. Surely if they only need two or three of those charges to stick, it would have been done by now. Then the other 111, 112 charges would have been dealt with separately after that.

“I think there will be some sort of punishment for a breach of whatever, I don’t think it will be massively severe. I think it will just get argued and argued and argued, appealed time and time again, and drag that even further. If I was City, I wouldn’t be massively worried at the moment.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?

City have been spending again in the summer transfer window of 2025, as they freshen up their ranks, and are currently chasing down a global title at the FIFA Club World Cup - with their first outing at that event seeing them face Wydad AC on Wednesday.