(Reuters) – A date has been set for the hearing into Manchester City’s alleged financial rule breaches, the Premier League’s CEO Richard Masters said on Tuesday.
City were charged in February with more than 100 alleged breaches of finance rules since their acquisition by the Abu Dhabi-based City Football Group, and were referred to an independent commission for a hearing.
“There is a date set for that proceeding. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you when that is but it is progressing,” Masters told the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee of the UK Parliament.
When the charges were announced in February, City said they welcomed “the review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.”
The charges against City, who are targeting a fourth straight Premier League title this season, are different to those brought against Everton and Nottingham Forest on Monday, Masters told the committee.
“If any club, the current champions or otherwise, had been found in breach of the spending rules, they would be in exactly the same position as Everton or Nottingham Forest,” he said.
“But the volume and character of the charges laid before Manchester City, which I obviously cannot talk about at all, are being heard in a completely different environment.”
Everton and Forest are facing potential points deductions – which would be a second for Everton this season after they were docked 10 points in November.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
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