Manchester City faces unresolved FFP case as signings aim for title

Manchester City enter the new season facing two parallel narratives: a long-running Premier League financial Fair Play case that remains unresolved, and a squad that has been overhauled in an effort to reclaim on-field dominance after last season’s disappointing finish. While a verdict in the FFP case has been repeatedly delayed, the club has pressed ahead with a substantial summer mercato and a promising start to the campaign, signaling both caution and ambition as it seeks to balance legal scrutiny with sporting expectations.

The FFP case, first brought in February 2023, accuses Manchester City of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules on a wide number of occasions between 2009 and 2018. The charges, which the league later increased to 130, allege inaccuracies in operating costs and sponsorship income, along with claims of a secret contract that paid a manager extra over several years and a lack of cooperation with investigators. City deny wrongdoing and say they expect to be cleared by what they describe as irrefutable evidence. A hearing conducted by an independent commission stretched for 12 weeks between September and December last year. The timetable for a...