Manchester City hearing to be held entirely behind closed doors as club warned of '100-point deduction'

The hearing into allegations that Manchester City breached Premier League financial rules will be held entirely behind closed doors. The defending champions were charged and referred to an independent commission in February after a four-year investigation.

They were charged with a total of 115 counts, with the alleged offenses occurring between 2009 and 2018. The city has strongly denied any wrongdoing and maintained its case was supported by a “comprehensive body of compelling evidence.”

The hearing on the charges is set to begin Monday and will be held entirely behind closed doors, meaning no details will be revealed throughout the process. It is expected to last about 10 weeks, paving the way for a verdict to be announced in early 2025.

If found guilty, City could face a range of sanctions, including an unlimited fine and expulsion from the Premier League. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes a 100-point deduction could be among the worst-case scenarios.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “If the allegations against Manchester City are proven, surely it must be a major breach of the rules, in fact the club misdeclared money coming into the club.

“The club has also been accused of concealing payments to players and managers through third parties, effectively being paid offshore via Abu Dhabi for services provided by staff members.

“It's also completely against the rules, you might think, but it could be within the Premier League rules so we would have to look at a very significant points deduction.

“If all 115 charges are proven, then you could imagine the points deduction would be between 60 and 100 points, as they would want the club to suffer enough to be knocked out of the division.”

Manchester City have not played outside the English top flight since 2002, when they were promoted to the Premier League as champions of the old Division One. Since then, they have established themselves as the premier force in English football, winning six titles in the last seven years.

Pep Guardiola admitted on Friday that he was pleased the hearing was finally about to begin, saying: “It starts soon and I hope it ends soon, an independent panel will decide and I look forward to the decision. I am happy that it starts on Monday.

“I know there will be more rumors, more experts on sentencing. We'll see. I know what people expect, what they're waiting for. I know what I've read for many, many years. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty, so we'll see.”