According to a report from Sam Lee at The Athletic, Manchester City's stance remains unchanged despite reports that an independent panel found them guilty of the majority of the 115 financial charges alleged by the Premier League. The club's leadership still believes the case has a long way to go before reaching a final conclusion and remains confident in their strong position to appeal.

Ferran Soriano, Manchester City's Chief Executive Officer, addressed the matter on Monday during a European Club Association board meeting in Copenhagen. Three days earlier, The Athletic reported that the independent panel overseeing the case had ruled that Manchester City was guilty of breaching the majority of the charges, though no formal verdict has been announced yet.

According to sources who attended the meeting, Soriano stated at the end: "It took eight years to get here, and it will take much longer to finish." He disagreed with the independent panel's decision and expressed confidence that Manchester City would ultimately overturn the ruling.

Earlier, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Manchester City's chairman, released an open letter to the club's supporters, stating: "While I know some want a quick resolution, what I will tell you is that nothing will change."

"We have faced challenges before and overcome them. There are many who still want to obstruct our progress. We will not allow them to do so."

The Athletic noted that Manchester City currently faces a severe situation. Following this news, there has been speculation about potential punishments, including relegation or even expulsion from England's professional football system. Meanwhile, some Premier League clubs' legal teams are reportedly considering whether they can claim compensation for past lost revenue. However, no specific penalties have been determined yet.

When the case began in 2023, Manchester City stated they welcomed the opportunity to clarify the facts and claimed to have "comprehensive irrefutable evidence" supporting their position. Now, with an unfavorable ruling from the independent panel, attention has turned to how Manchester City will proceed.

The report indicates that Manchester City's defiant stance extends beyond public statements alone. Sources revealed that after the report was released last Friday, Manchester City executives held a telephone conference that evening and assured senior staff that the case remains far from over and that the club remains confident in its position on appealing the guilty verdict.

Due to strict confidentiality agreements binding both Manchester City and the Premier League, only a handful of people at the club have been continuously informed of the case's progress over the past few years. Currently, Manchester City has not even notified all employees at its Manchester headquarters and affiliated clubs worldwide.

Sources also indicated that there is frustration within Manchester City that significant progress in the case leaked at this stage. The report suggests that if Manchester City argues during the appeals process that the previous proceedings were conducted unfairly, this leak could become part of their argument.

Al Mubarak also asked supporters in his open letter to carefully read Manchester City's previous statements: "I ask everyone to read the statements we released on Friday and in February 2023. Every word in those statements matters and continues to matter."

Manchester City told The Athletic on Friday: "The club has always been willing to have the independent panel consider this matter and review the comprehensive irrefutable evidence that exists to support the club's position fairly. Therefore, we look forward to a fair and just resolution."

In 2023, when discussing the evidence they possess, Manchester City stated its willingness to have the independent panel review the case and emphasized that the proceedings should be conducted "fairly."

Thus, The Athletic's analysis suggests that Manchester City is clearly arguing whether the proceedings have been sufficiently fair.

The report also compares the current situation to UEFA's 2020 case, in which Manchester City was banned from competing in the Champions League for two seasons due to allegations of breaching Financial Fair Play rules. The news caused significant shock at the time, with discussions about key players potentially leaving Manchester City and whether the club could return to the pinnacle of European football.

At that time, Manchester City demonstrated great confidence both publicly and internally, and ultimately, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned UEFA's ban on Manchester City from European competition.

Rodri, the former Manchester City captain who now plays for Barcelona, recounted that experience, saying: "If I remember correctly, we went through a similar process in 2020. The club would tell us to be patient, that we hadn't done anything wrong, and later the club was found not guilty... I hope we get a fair outcome this time as well."

"But I believe the club is innocent. I know this club very well. Back then, they told us to be patient and everything was done correctly."

However, The Athletic emphasized that the current case is not entirely the same as in 2020. At that time, Manchester City did not fully cooperate with UEFA's investigation because the club believed the process could not guarantee fairness, and therefore submitted relevant evidence only when appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

This time is different. Manchester City had the opportunity to present the "comprehensive irrefutable evidence" it claimed to possess to the independent panel overseeing the case. However, based on the findings revealed so far, this evidence did not prevent the panel from ruling that the majority of the charges were proven. Therefore, even if the case goes to a new appeals panel, overturning the original verdict appears unlikely.

Nevertheless, the message being sent within Manchester City remains unchanged.

The report indicates that if Manchester City continues to appeal but the appeals panel ultimately finds violations, the club will face an extremely serious situation, and Al Mubarak and Manchester City's leadership will have to answer many critical questions.

Conversely, if Manchester City ultimately succeeds in overturning the verdict through appeal, the Premier League and its leadership will face serious scrutiny and could create further conflict throughout English football.

The Athletic concludes that Manchester City's current situation is undoubtedly precarious, and the severity of the situation should not be underestimated. However, at least for now, the stance within the club remains consistent with the past.

Soriano's message is equally clear: this case, which has been ongoing for years, still has a long way to go before reaching a true conclusion.

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