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The chief of England's Independent Football Regulator (IFR) has expressed confidence that the Manchester City case will be "resolved" before the current season concludes.
City have lodged an appeal against the guilty ruling handed down by an independent commission following a lengthy Premier League investigation that produced 115 financial misconduct charges. The club was found guilty of nearly all charges spanning a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018, with the findings detailed in a scathing report released last month.
A timeline has been established for the appeal to be heard and a decision reached. IFR chief David Kogan told Times Radio: "My understanding is there is a prescribed process, which is 12 weeks, and so people are assuming this will actually be heard by the middle or the end of January."
"It's not [the IFR's] process, it's that of the Premier League's independent commission. What I don't think we can do is take any judgment until we're quite clear.
"Obviously, City claim that they have some form of silver bullet to dismiss these charges and win the appeal, and we're not there to judge whether that's right or wrong yet, but I think we'll know in the early part of next year."
In theory, City could pursue further appeals if this initial one fails to overturn the original verdict, escalating the matter through higher channels. However, a legal basis would be required for each subsequent appeal, and the grounds become increasingly limited with every attempt.
Given the club's fierce denial of any wrongdoing throughout this entire process, it seems improbable that a failed appeal — which would open the door to sanctions — would be quietly accepted.
Independent Football Regulator Has Power to Expel Man City's Owner
Separate from any penalties imposed by the independent commission, should the guilty verdict be upheld, the IFR holds the authority to remove Sheikh Mansour from his role as Manchester City's owner.
As Kogan outlined in an IFR statement on Sept. 30, such action would be pursued if his ownership was no longer considered "suitable" in the interests of "protecting the sustainability, honesty and integrity" of English soccer, and where there is "clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals."
Concerns About Government Interference Dismissed
The ties between Manchester City's ownership and U.K. prime minister Andy Burnham, and the possibility of those ties influencing proceedings, have recently come under scrutiny.
There are lingering concerns about the potential for strained relations between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, given that Sheikh Mansour is a senior political figure and member of the royal family in the Gulf state. Burnham, previously the Mayor of Greater Manchester, has chosen his words carefully regarding the guilty verdict and continues to speak highly of the broader economic benefits UAE investment has brought to that area of east Manchester.
At the end of September, Burnham stated he would be "really concerned to lose them," in reference to the prospect of the ownership being found unsuitable.
"They've been such a huge partner in the building of modern Manchester and obviously the building of Manchester City into the global force that it is," the prime minister told BBC.
"I do actually thank the City Football Group and the wider ownership for the money that they didn't just put into the Etihad [Stadium] and the campus around it but also into the city."
Burnham's expressed "concern" could theoretically be interpreted as governmental pressure, but Kogan and the IFR appear assured that this is not the case and will not become one.
"The prime minister is free to say whatever he wishes," Kogan continued in his Times Radio interview. "You asked me whether we have had any interference politically in any of the judgments we're making, and I'm telling you, categorically, we have not.
"We will reach a judgment based on evidence. Once the appeal has been heard by the Premier League's independent commission, we're going to examine that evidence carefully, we're going to exercise our own investigative powers, and that will be what determines what we [the IFR] do."