The soccer world has been waiting for the official verdict on Manchester City’s 115 FFP charges — and it’s set to be delivered in 2025. 

The Pep Guardiola era at Manchester City has been one of complete dominance. 

Since joining the club back in 2016, Pep has won 6 Premier League titles, 1 Champions League, 2 FA Cups, 4 Carabao Cups, and several other trophies on the side, too. But as incredible as this achievement is, there’s been a huge cloud hanging over Pep’s trophy cabinet ever since it was announced that Manchester City were under investigation by the Premier League for 115 alleged breaches of financial rules. 

Effectively, these charges allege that Manchester City cheated between 2009 and 2018, from not providing accurate financial information to breaching the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR). And because the charges are so serious, it’s caused the investigation to last four years, with a verdict still not having been made. Naturally, this has caused uproar amongst fans of other teams, who believe that Manchester City’s charges are harming the legitimacy of the Premier League. 

With everything that’s going on in the background, the good news is that a verdict on Manchester City’s 115 charges is on the way — and here’s what you need to know about it. 

When is the Manchester City Verdict? Latest on the Court Case 

The long-awaited verdict for Manchester City’s 115 charges is set to be delivered in early 2025. As long as there are no delays, an independent commission will start the hearing in September 2024 and expect it to take around 10 weeks to complete. Once completed, a verdict will be publicly announced and the football world will finally get to know whether Manchester City has broken the rules. If this turns out to be the case, it’ll be a shocking revelation and cause the first decade of Sheikh Mansour’s reign as club owner to be tarnished. The fallout won’t stop there, though, because Manchester City will also face punishments, including potential relegation from the Premier League. 

What Punishments Will Manchester City Recieve? 

If found guilty, Manchester City could face a huge range of punishments, including a limitless fine, points deduction, future transfer bans, and even relegation from the Premier League. In the case that Manchester City are relegated, then it would likely be to the Championship. However, reports suggest that the club could even be relegated to League 2, which would almost certainly result in Pep Guardiola (as well as most of the players) exiting the club. 

Rumors regarding a potential Pep exit have already been circling for over a year. The general view is that Pep wants to win his 5th Premier League title on the bounce and leave on the biggest high possible, with only 1 year remaining on his existing contract. However, some media figures and fans also believe that Pep is planning to leave City to escape the potential fallout that ensues following any guilty charges, as it’s something he doesn’t want his legacy attached to. 

Despite everything that’s happened, it’s entirely possible that City will only be found guilty of a few charges or potentially even none at all. In this case, the punishments would be minimal and City would almost certainly make it out unscathed. Whether or not this would convince Pep to stay with the club remains to be seen. 

Manchester City Relegation Odds 

According to sports betting experts GambleUSA, most sportsbooks have Manchester City listed anywhere from 16/1 to 6/1 odds in the relegation market. Just recently, Sky Bet even announced that City have taken 65% of total bets in their relegation market, so there’s clearly a strong sentiment amongst fans (and sportsbooks themselves) that the Blues could actually be relegated by the end of the 2024/25 season. 

What remains unclear is how a Manchester City relegation would look on paper. If the club were to get relegated, then the general belief is that the points deduction they receive will see them finish bottom of the table, meaning one of the 3 teams that would originally have been relegated will get a free pass to survive. However, a wide range of other outcomes are also possible, including a potential 4-team relegation. This is something that the Premier League will provide clarity on over the coming months, as all of the other teams in the league have a vested interest in the outcome and are demanding answers. 

Summary 

Will Manchester City be relegated? It’s certainly possible. This is reflected by recent reports, Pep’s rumored exit, and the fact that 115 charges are on the table. However, it’s also important to remember that Manchester City has the best lawyers that money can buy and that they might not have done anything explicitly illegal to begin with. Only time will tell — and you can expect the verdict to arrive in early 2025.