Why Man City 115 charges verdict could make £35m Everton ruling look like nothing

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If you are not a fan of either club, there was probably only one reaction to the news that Everton will have to pay Burnley close to £40million over the impact of their breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.

What on earth is going to happen if Manchester City are found guilty of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League?

First things first, these commissions do not seem to mess around too much when dealing with Everton. No outlandishly long delays there.

Since charges were laid against City, Everton have been deducted 10 points for a breach of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). They had an appeal heard and had that sanction reduced to six points. They received another two-point deduction in April 2024. They have had this compensation case brought against them by Burnley, which has brought a decision. They will now appeal and you would not bet against that appeal being done and dusted before a verdict on the City charges.

The delay in that verdict has gone from regrettable to ridiculous to preposterous.

City, as is their absolute right, are carrying on regardless. While Everton are dealing with the latest, costly ramification of their PSR offences, City are putting in a bid of £105million for Elliot Anderson. Something is wrong.

Perhaps the ramifications of the City hearing's outcome—which concluded a year and a half ago, after the charges were brought in February 2023 - could be so serious that delays are inevitable.

To sum up the Everton case, Burnley were claiming compensation because Everton’s points deduction related to an offence in the four-year Premier League accounting period ending in June, 2022, specifically in Everton’s financial year that ended on June 30, 2022.

Burnley were relegated at the end of the 2021-22 season. They argued that if Everton’s points deduction - the one reduced to six on appeal - had been applied that season, Burnley would not have gone down. In that season, Everton finished 16th, four points ahead of 18th-placed Burnley.

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Should the commission’s decision to order Everton to pay compensation to Burnley - £25million plus interest that will take the final figure close to £40 million - be upheld, the implications are game-changing.

City’s financial charges relate to a period that stretches from 2009 to 2018. They won seven major trophies in that time, including three Premier League titles. They won the 2011-12 title on goal difference, ahead of Manchester United. They pipped Liverpool by two points in 2013-14 but had a 19-point gap to United when Pep Guardiola won his first in 2017-18.

It is safe to say that if City are found guilty and punished, the Burnley claim will look like a small one when City’s rivals mobilise their lawyers.

The grounds for Everton’s appeal are mainly based on timings and accountancy details. But the principle of this decision in favour of Burnley is a fundamental one.

If a sporting sanction has been imposed on a club for financial offences, then rival clubs can bring compensation cases if they think their pursuit of objectives was compromised by those financial offences.

The ramifications of this Everton-Burnley decision are indeed huge. And we will find out just how huge if we ever get a Manchester City verdict.