The disciplinary case bought by the Premier League against Manchester City could take at least two years to complete, according to a sports law expert.
The Premier League have charged City with breaking 115 different regulations over a 14-year period, the vast majority of which relate to alleged financial irregularities between 2009/10 and 2017/18.
Following the charges, an independent commission will be appointed to hear the case, but it is expected the issue could drag on, rather than a quick resolution being found.
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City have already contested the charges, insisting they have "irrefutable evidence" that will prove their innocence, but both parties have appointed expert legal teams ahead of a hearing.
"What it means for Man City is unchartered territory. Both sides have lawyered up very heavily. Lord Pannick, you look at the figures he will be charging, it’s absolutely eye-watering, I think his brief fee alone is £800,000," said Catherine Forshaw, an associate at law firm Brabners.
"Then you’ve got the Blackstone team for the Premier League and Adam Lewis KC, I know him personally and he’s absolutely fantastic, but this is by no means going to be a quick resolution. It could rumble on for a year, two years.
"It comes down to the fact there are 115 charges, each of which will have its own evidence that will need to be addressed in isolation.
"Once the committee is convened it will set out a timetable, that will be agreed with the Premier League and the club. They will sit down, look at the timetable, agree it. Both parties will be given an opportunity to compile their evidence, speak to witnesses, experts in the industry, leading experts around the rules and regs.
"Then it will be a case of disclosing that evidence, looking at the evidence from the other parties and having a chance to respond to it. Then the panel will sit and have a hearing. I would imagine that hearing would last in excess of a week, it could be two or three weeks, it really comes down to how much evidence there is."
For City, the stakes couldn't be much higher. Nearly three years ago they had a two-year ban from the Champions League, issued by UEFA, overturned at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
But the appeal process with the Premier League can't go to CAS and, unlike UEFA's statutes, there is no time-barring of alleged offences to stop them from being considered.
"When UEFA handed the two-year ban City had the ability go to CAS, they had that decision overturned, which from the club’s perspective, from a sporting outlook, would have been monumental," said Forshaw.
"They’re not going to be afforded the same opportunity this time, so if the commission finds in favour of the Premier League, City can appeal that decision, but once it is made that’s the end of the line. That’s why this stage now is so important, they need to make sure they’ve got all the evidence to prove their case.
"From a severity point, I’d imagine the Premier League will matter more because it is there week in and week out. European opportunities can come and go depending on performance, it’s not their staple. They’re so used to being in the Premier League now and winning the title, that the ramifications are greater."
There has been speculation that City could be relegated from the Premier League if they are find guilty of an overwhelming number of breaches, and Forshaw said the sanctions available to the league are basically a "blank slate".
"It’s a free-for-all as to what the commission can impose and for the club that is probably the real nervousness, the panic will start to build because they just don’t know what they are facing," she said.
But she considers an automatic expulsion from the league to be unlikely and only a measure of last resort.
"What may happen is a suspended ban, so a one-year, two-year suspended ban, where if there’s any further wrongdoing that expulsion will take place," said Forshaw on the potential sanctions if City are found guilty.
"I would imagine, if they’re looking at an expulsion, it would be suspended, but it’s kind of a guessing game, it depends on what is imposed. I would imagine, given the impact beyond the club, such as on the community, the staff, they will take all of that into consideration, which might lean towards a suspended ban."
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