The severity of Manchester City's 115 charges for breaching financial regulations has been somewhat overstated
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Man City to face 115 chargesCase expected to begin soon'115' charges inflatedWHAT HAPPENED?
The reigning Premier League champions are to face an inquiry around the 115 charges that have been levied against them, with the top-flight's CEO Richard Masters saying this week that the case could be heard in September.
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The sheer number of charges they are facing has resulted in many expecting a massive punishment if they are found guilty, but Ornstein has revealed to that a lot of them are simply duplicates. Each year they are said to have breached one rule counts as a separate charge, which could affect the severity of their punishment, instead of infringing different regulations.
"A lot of the alleged offenses are repeat, so that's helped inflate the number," Ornstein said. "A lot of people go 'wow, 115 separate charges'. That's not the case. Because of the time span, it's year after year of the same thing, including non-compliance and alleged inflating of sponsorships artificially with the help of their ownership being disguised."
DID YOU KNOW?
Having seen Everton and Nottingham Forest hit with points deductions for breaking financial rules last season, many are calling for City to be relegated from the Premier League if they are found guilty of all 115 charges. However, while the case is set to go ahead soon, it could be a long process before a final decision is made on the club's fate.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?
City will challenge the charges and will likely appeal against a decision should they be found guilty, meaning the situation could stretch out until beyond the 2024-25 season. Before the case begins, though, they will start their Premier League campaign on Sunday with a game against Chelsea.