Soriano tells club chiefs Manchester City case could take years

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has told fellow European club leaders that the club's dispute with the Premier League could continue for years, Sky News reported on Monday. His remarks came during a private European Football Clubs board meeting in Copenhagen, as City maintain their denial of financial wrongdoing.

Watch the highlights:

According to Sky News, sources at the meeting said Soriano stressed the club's determination to contest the case and referred to the eight years that had already elapsed since allegations emerged. He declined to answer the broadcaster's questions after leaving. The meeting preceded the organisation's general assembly on Tuesday, BBC Sport reported.

BBC Sport reported that City had been found guilty of the vast majority of the 115 charges brought against them, with those findings emerging on Friday. The broadcaster also said the club would appeal. Sanctions had not been announced, and the Premier League declined to comment on the case.

The Associated Press reported that there had still been no official announcement of the verdict. Its account set out how the charges announced in February 2023 included 80 alleged financial-rule breaches covering 2009-2018 and another 35 concerning alleged failures to cooperate with the investigation. The allegations included inaccurate financial information, inflated sponsorship figures and concealed payments supplementing the salaries of managers and players.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak had already told supporters on Saturday that he remained confident the club could establish its innocence. BBC Sport reported that he cited the confidentiality of the proceedings as the reason he could not explain the basis for that confidence. City's public statement likewise described the process as unfinished, with significant matters still outstanding.

BBC Sport also reported that other Premier League clubs were seeking legal advice about possible compensation. Potential sporting and financial penalties remain unresolved: the range of possible sanctions includes a points deduction, a fine or expulsion from the league. None of those outcomes has yet been announced as City's punishment.