Premier League chief executive Richard Masters provides an updated timeline for the date of Manchester City’s trial over alleged 115 financial rule-break charges

Richard Masters has shed light on a possible timeline for the looming legal challenge Manchester City will face after being charged by the Premier League with 115 breaches of the organisation’s financial regulations.

Mail Sport previously reported that the trial was likely to start in late autumn this year, almost a year and a half after news broke that the club had been charged in February 2023.

Manchester City will defend themselves against the allegations at a hearing overseen by an independent panel in perhaps the biggest such case in the competition’s history.

The alleged breaches span a period of more than nine years and are said to stretch from 2009 – a year after the club was bought by Sheikh Mansour in 2008 – to 2018, when an investigation into the club was opened by the Premier League.

Since the charges were announced, both the Premier League and the club at the center of the investigation have shared few details ahead of the hearing.

But the Premier League CEO hinted in his comments on Friday that the hearing will take place sooner rather than later.

The period in which the alleged violations allegedly occurred covers the period 2009 to 2018 (in the photo the Premier League is won that year)

The study could remain unfinished until the summer of 2025, barring possible delays

From the TelegraphMasters said the hearing will take place in the “near future.”

“We cannot comment on the matter, the date is fixed,” Masters added. “The matter will resolve itself at some point in the near future.”

Despite news that the trial will start before the end of next year and will likely come as a relief to those following the trial, reaching a conclusion could prove even more complex.

Mail Sport reported that Pep Guardiola’s side may not see a resolution to the matter before the end of the 2024/25 season in November last year.

Delays could further delay the proceedings, as could a possible appeal against a ruling by the club.

However, Man City cannot appeal further to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where they successfully overturned their UEFA-imposed Champions League ban.

The charges against the club include claims over financial reporting and a lack of co-operation with the Premier League investigation six years ago.

The city denies all allegations.

Masters also used his appearance at the 48th European League General Assembly press conference in London on Friday to highlight player welfare issues regarding the number of matches in which top players participate, stressing that the calendar is moving towards a ‘ turning point’.

“Something has to be done,” Masters added about the packed schedules.

Pep Guardiola is one of many voices sharing Masters’ view on the ‘tipping point’ of the match

The CEO is just one of the latest voices to speak out about concerns over the number of games players play in a calendar year.

Guardiola himself used his post-match comments after his side booked their place in the FA Cup semi-final at Man City to denounce his players’ fixture list as ‘unacceptable’.

Both Rodri and Bernardo Silva have also expressed concerns about their fixtures in recent weeks, with Silva claiming after the 1-0 win against Chelsea at Wembley that he had played through a mild injury.

“Things weren’t going well for me at all,” he said, echoing Guardiola’s views on the fixture list. ‘It is too much. It wasn’t a flat pitch because the FA didn’t give us a chance to recover. It seems like they don’t care because we’ve said it so many times.”