Man City's war with EPL might not be settled until after the end of NEXT season

The Premier League's war with Manchester City over 115 alleged breaches of financial rules could not be settled until after NEXT season.

On Wednesday, it emerged that the ongoing hearing in London into the matter which has rocked the top flight will not conclude until the middle of next month after which both sides will have presented their closing arguments.

Mail Sport understands that a subsequent verdict may then not be reached until after the current campaign has concluded.

However, an appeal from either the league or City – viewed by many as inevitable given the high stakes involved – could then take as long as 12 months to complete.

Such a situation would create a serious issue for the competition and leave the issue unresolved well into the future.

As has been previously reported, clubs have raised concerns with the Premier League over its legal bill. Last season costs surged to £48.1m, six times what it had budgeted for, with much of that on the 115 charges and the associated party transaction hearing, both involving City. City have also shelled out vast sums on their defence.

The league has been investigating its champions for more than five years and, given the number of charges involved, the case is viewed as highly complex.

The Lawyer website reported that the hearing at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre has been paused while both parties work on their closing statements.

A three-man commission will then retire to issue a judgement, which may well take several months.

Those with knowledge of the process have disclosed that should an appeal be forthcoming a resolution could then take another 12 months.

City’s alleged breaches are claimed to have taken place over a 14-year period. Charges include 54 failures to provide accurate financial information from 2009-10 to 2017-18, five failures to comply with Uefa’s rules including financial fair play (FFP) from 2013-14 to 2017-18, 14 failures to provide accurate details for player and manager payments from 2009-10 to 2017-18, seven breaches of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability (PSR) rules from 2015-16 to 2017-18 and 35 failures to co-operate with Premier League investigations.

Allegations came to light from hacked material published in German media.

Should City be found guilty of some of the more serious charges, such as not accurately reporting financial information, they could face relegation or a huge points deduction.