Ever since February 2023, Manchester City have operated with the ‘115 case’ rumbling away in the background. City were charged by the Premier League for breaching the Premier League’s financial rules. The charges can be seen below courtesy of The Telegraph . The independent panel hearing into Manchester City’s case began in September 2024 and was concluded in December 2024. From that point onwards, the wait for a verdict to be announced has stretched on. It has now been revealed that Manchester City have been found guilty on almost all of the charges levelled against them. The hammer has seemingly fallen on City, but the entire ‘115’ story remains far from over.

It was first reported by David Ornstein for The Athletic that Manchester City had been found guilty on almost all of the charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. Furthermore, Ornstein reported that no sanctions have been decided and City do intend to appeal the verdict. Also, Ornstein reported that City were found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges. Which charge City weren’t guilty of hasn’t been revealed. Also, the Premier League are yet to release a statement on the affair.

The Telegraph (the link is attached above) also reported that Manchester City had been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges levelled against them by the Premier League. It is also reported by The Telegraph that City could face expulsion from the Premier League, points deductions or a combination of punishments including a transfer ban and a hefty fine under section W51 of the Premier League’s rulebook. Interestingly, the Telegraph reports that the panel has found City guilty of all but one of the charges they faced. The one that has not been proved is said to be one of the most serious of the 115. What this means for the case and Manchester City’s prospects, remains to be seen. Lastly, it is also reported by the Telegraph that Manchester City will appeal the verdict.

The day that never felt like it would arrive finally came on Friday. Manchester City know the verdict that the independent panel has handed down in the ‘115 case’. While it isn’t official yet, there is enough smoke to suggest what will come next. City will appeal the verdict, much like they did when UEFA banned them from their competitions in February of 2020 and hit City with a €30 million fine. City appealed the verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport five months later. CAS overturned UEFA’s decision because City’s alleged financial fait play breaches were either time-barred or happened too long ago for UEFA’s rules to be enforced. However, City’s fine was reduced to £8.8 million for failing to comply with UEFA’s investigation.

The CAS route isn’t available to Manchester City in the ‘115’ case. Instead, City will have their appeal heard by an independent appeal board who have the power to uphold, vary, or overturn the Premier League’s independent panels decision.

Manchester City remain defiant and determined to clear the clubs name. Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak released a statement on Saturday indicating that City are confident in their position that they will eventually clear their name. While Friday’s reports hit like a bomb, the story is far from over and what comes next will become even clearer when the verdict if officially released by the Premier League and what steps will follow that announcement.