"It has dragged on too long": Arsenal lose patience over "City's major case"

Arsenal have publicly and openly called for an immediate end to the state of uncertainty surrounding the case of Manchester City's financial breaches, stressing that the continued delay in issuing a verdict is harming the image of the entire Premier League.

Richard Garlick, Arsenal's chief executive, delivered strong remarks to the BBC: "The case has dragged on for far too long. Everyone, whether the league or the clubs, wants clarity about what will happen now."

Those comments laid bare the impatience running through Premier League circles. Manchester City are still awaiting the final verdict on 130 financial breaches the league brought against them in February 2023. The hearings wrapped up in late 2024, yet the outcome remains locked away in the drawers.

Garlick went on: "This is not something I can control, nor can I predict what fate it will end in. All I hope for is reaching a resolution very soon and closing the case for good."

He was not the only one venting his frustration. A day earlier, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters had conceded the case was "taking longer than it should".

Masters said: "I acknowledge that it is taking longer than expected, and I understand people's desire to know what is going on as quickly as possible, but I simply cannot make any statement. Our rules are perfectly clear: the procedures must be followed and allowed to reach their natural conclusion."

The roots of the case go back to City being accused of failing to provide accurate financial information regarding payments to coaches and players between the 2009-2010 and 2017-2018 seasons, breaching UEFA and Premier League financial fair play regulations, in addition to failing to cooperate with investigations between December 2018 and February 2023.

Manchester City, who have enlisted an elite group of Britain's top sports lawyers, maintain their denial of all charges. The potential punishments range from a huge financial fine and a points deduction to relegation to a lower division, or even the stripping of the titles they won during the period under investigation, which saw them lift three league titles, the FA Cup and three League Cups.