Premier League CEO responds after Arsenal chief demands clarity on Man City 115 case

Richard Masters insists the Manchester City case in relation to 115 alleged breaches of financial rules must be allowed to play out organically despite increasing pressure for a verdict

Premier League CEO Richard Masters insists the independent commission handling Manchester City's alleged 115 breaches of financial rules "need time and space to do their work."

On Tuesday, Masters admitted that the process was "taking longer than expected" but he has still warned the verdict remains in the hands of the independent commission, three-and-a-half years after City were originally charged.

Ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, the Premier League are facing increased pressure to resolve the "hugely complex" case once and for all with Arsenal chief executive Richard Garlick the latest figure to call for clarity. It's now been over 18 months since the disciplinary hearing was concluded.

Masters said on Wednesday when asked if the case is in danger of just being forgotten about: "It will resolve itself, but as you know, I literally can't say anything about it.

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"There's only one available option, which is to allow the process to reach its natural conclusion and I can't talk about the substance of the case, I can't talk about the timing of the case.

"Our rules are very clear about that. Yesterday, I accepted that it would take longer than perhaps anyone had expected.

"The knowledge that people wanted to know - what the outcome was - needed to know what the outcome was. But the process was the process. I literally can't answer beyond what I've already said."

Masters refutes that other clubs are pressing for a verdict, at least, that isn't the impression he gets from his conversations. He continued: “I obviously speak to clubs all the time. It’s not necessarily a topic of conversation that is top of the list.

"(There are) lots of other things to talk about and do. As you say, the Premier League moves on. It’s starting (again) on Friday evening.”

Masters was also challenged on whether the Premier League could do anything to speed things up, to which he added: "We've always said that the commission needs time and space to do their work, and in the end, as you know, it's the league's job as the regulator to provide the evidences there, to put serious allegations in front of the independent commission, the independent process, to establish the truth."

He was also transparent about the frustration that has plagued the case, explaining: "I just have to accept the fact that people are frustrated and want to know and I can't add anything further."

Earlier this week, Arsenal CEO Garlick told the BBC that "everyone" around the Premier League was eagerly awaiting an update.

He said: "It has gone on for a while. Everybody, the league and the teams, would want the clarity around what's going to happen next.

"But it's not something that I can control. It's not something that I can speculate on. And I just hope that there is a solution very quickly."