Manchester City appeals as independent panel takes up the case

Manchester City has confirmed it is appealing the decision of the Premier League’s Independent Committee, which found the club guilty of 114 of the 115 financial breaches examined. The club said on Friday that it had filed its appeal at 19:00 on Thursday. The case now moves to a new stage: it will be reviewed by an Appeal Board independent of both the Premier League and the Independent Committee that issued the ruling.

The panel will have three members. One must have served as a judge and will chair it; the members will be appointed by the independent chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel. The appeal challenges, among other things, how the original decision was reached. In its statement, Manchester City said it was contesting « errors of law, errors in the principles applied and errors in the assessment of the facts and evidence », and said it had evidence to support those arguments.

The Appeal Board will not be restricted to checking whether a sanction is justified: it can review the challenged decision within the scope of the appeal. It could, for example, rule in Manchester City’s favour; the conclusions challenged by the appeal would then be overturned, and the breaches concerned would have no effect. The decision now rests with the panel.

Timing is also at stake. In England, a sanction cannot be enforced until the appeal process is complete. The Premier League wants to expedite the case, but the appeal therefore holds up any possible enforcement of a sanction. Once the Appeal Board has ruled, a final sanction would be determined if the club were found guilty of all or some of the alleged conduct.

If the Appeal Board were to uphold all 114 breaches, as the Premier League’s Independent Commission did, the process would then end. Manchester City could not lodge another appeal within this process, although the club has left open the possibility of pursuing other legal routes.