Manchester City's former chairman: the club accused of 115 charges is mocking the Premier League

Bernstein believes there is a mystery in the case

David Bernstein, the former Manchester City chairman, has criticised the continued delay in resolving the case of the 115 charges brought against the club, considering that the team spending 440 million pounds in the summer transfer market, while the case remains without a result, "makes a mockery" of the Premier League's system.

According to the "Sunday Times", Bernstein, who chaired Manchester City between 1998 and 2003 and the English Football Association between 2011 and 2013, hit out at the lack of a verdict so far. He also questioned how the Premier League has handled the whole affair.

The Premier League charged the club with 115 alleged breaches of its financial rules in February 2023. The hearings ran for 12 weeks and ended in December 2024, yet the independent commission still hasn't issued its verdict, amid indications that the case is extremely complex.

City deny the accusations forcefully. The outcome could clear them altogether, or leave them facing historic sanctions.

At 83, Bernstein joins a growing list of critics of the delay, his intervention coming after Premier League chief executive Richard Masters admitted that the verdict had "taken longer than expected".

A mystery

Bernstein wrote in the "Sunday Times": "For them to do this (spending in the market) against the backdrop of the 115 charges is extraordinary, and it makes a mockery of the regulation in England's top league, which is supposed to be the best run in the world."

He continued: "Why did the league decide to pursue all 115 charges? This is a mystery to me. Common sense (which is often rare) would have required simplifying the process by taking a handful of the biggest and clearest cases, and pursuing them as test cases.

Justice delayed is justice denied, and the longer this process drags on, the more complex its repercussions and challenges become."

City currently top the Premier League table, having taken maximum points from their first three matches under Italian coach Enzo Maresca. The latest was Saturday's 1-0 win over newly promoted Coventry.

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