City could lift EPL title THIS season despite being found guilty of 'vast majority' of rule breaches

Legal experts expect Manchester City to be free to lift this season’s Premier League trophy, despite having been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges brought against them.

City’s anticipated appeal, hinted at by chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak in a statement at the weekend, could ultimately see them take the case to the High Court.

The Financial Times reported at the weekend that the single charge against City which has not been proven was one of the most serious. That may strengthen the club’s resolve.

Experts say that the grounds for a successful appeal, which would have to be heard by a separate and newly convened independent commission, are narrow. But if an appeal failed, City could seek a judicial review of the commission's findings at the High Court.

To do so, they would need to demonstrate that the Premier League acted outside its powers or reached a conclusion which no reasonable authority could have reached. If either could be proved by City's legal team, the outcome could be quashed. But City would need the High Court’s permission to make a judicial review application and the bar is high.

It is unclear how much of the independent commission's findings will be made public. Most arbitration processes have strict confidentiality rules in place. Though City and the Premier League are likely to have waived some of the right to confidentiality, it is possible that only a summary or redacted version of the judgement will be published.

The likely legal delays mean it is entirely possible that Premier League executives may be left to watch City lift the title at the Etihad Stadium next spring, should they maintain their strong start to the season. The side are currently three points clear at the top of the table. ‘The final outcome of this case, particularly in relation to sanctions, may still take considerable time to be resolved,’ said Chris Partington, a lawyer at Brandsmiths.

The independent commission’s findings are likely to be straining relations between the UK and the United Arab Emirates, whose sovereign wealth funds have been embedded in Manchester's urban development during Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s time as the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

Asked if City should be stripped of previous titles, Burnham said on Friday: ‘People shouldn’t jump to those kind of conclusions. I think we would all need to study the independent commission’s report in some detail.’