The first day of football’s ’trial of the century’ has concluded at the secret location in the heart of the City of London.
Lawyers representing Manchester City and the Premier League declined to give any insight into proceedings as they left this afternoon.
The top-flight club faces relegation from the Premier League over the 115 charges leveled at them for allegedly breaching the English football body’s financial rules.
Kings Counsel Lord Pannick, who is representing Manchester City, declined to comment when he left the hearing
And Adam Lewis KC, who is acting for the Premier League, also remained silent.
Manchester City’s lawyer, Lord David Pannick, was seen leaving the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London on Monday
Lawyers from both the football club and the Premier League declined to give insight on the first day of proceedings into City’s trial into 115 financial rule breaches
Man City’s trial is taking place at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in central London
Lewis has previously acted for the footballing organisation working as counsel for the league during their legal dispute with Everton over the Merseyside club’s breach of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules.
The independent hearing is expected to last ten weeks with a verdict not anticipated until Spring next year.
Lord Pannick, 68, has previously acted as counsel for Man City. He had helped the club overturn a two-year ban from European competitions in 2020.
The case is being held in private at the International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC) which is located in a quiet lane close to St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London.
The fees to hire out the largest room at the IDRC for just one day cost £4,845, while overtime can cost around £300-per-hour. The building has around 70 rooms which those seeking to settle disputes can choose from.
With the trial expected to last approximately 10 weeks, the fees for the use of the building could rise to around £250,000.
Should the Premier League win the case being made against City, the club could face relegation from the English top-flight or a huge points deduction.
Of the charges being made against the football club, 54 of those are in relation to alleged failures to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009-10 to 2017-18.
The football club faces relegation from the Premier League or a huge points deduction over the 115 charges being made against them relating to the league’s financial rules
Lord Pannick (right) has previously advised City in disputes over financial rule breaches with UEFA
| Type of breach | Number of charges relating to breach | Start date of trial | Date of decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009-10 to 2017-18 | 54 | Monday September, 16 2024 | Spring or Summer 2025 |
| Failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009-10 to 2017-18 | 14 | ” ” | ” ” |
| Failure to comply with UEFA’s regulations, including UEFA’s Club and Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations | 5 | ” ” | ” ” |
| Breaches of Premier League profitability and sustainability regulations from 2015-16 to and including 2017-18 season | 7 | ” ” | ” ” |
| Failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018-present | 35 | ” ” | ” ” |
The Premier League’s managing director Richard Masters has been central to the case
The Premier League side, who have won eight league titles since 2012, are also facing 14 charges of failing to provide accurate reports in relation to compensation paid to both players and managers across the same period.
Commencement of the trial comes nearly six years after German news outlet Der Speigel published several articles accusing City of the breaches based on documents obtained from Football Leaks.
On Sunday, Mail Sport reported exclusively that the club had told stars that they had ‘nothing to worry about’ in relation to the club’s trial into the financial breaches.
Defender Aymeric Laporte said to this paper: ‘When I was there and the news broke, the sporting director (Txiki Begiristain) and the CEO (Ferran Soriano) came and told all the players and staff that we can all be very calm because not one rule has been broken by Man City.’
Manchester City face 115 charges of Financial Fair Play rules and regulations breaches
‘They told us everything was fine so that’s why we all think City will be fine. I don’t think there will be any issues.
‘Like Pep Guardiola always says, if something wrong has been done, they will have to pay for it.’
