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One experienced Premier League club director expects that Manchester City's fate relating to their dozens of charges from the league would still drag on for months and months even if a verdict were delivered tomorrow.
The three-year anniversary of the Premier League announcing their investigation into City passed by last week with a decision still yet to be announced, despite a panel having heard both sides of the case in December 2024.
Manchester City appeals process could be extremely long and involved
The potential punishments for City range anywhere from a fine to points deductions or even expulsion from the league - but former Chelsea, Liverpool and Aston Villa executive Christian Purslow is not expecting the matter to be at anything like an end even once a verdict is announced, however.
Speaking with his co-host Henry Winter on The Football Boardroom podcast, Purslow said: "This first panel has shown that predicting timetables is a fool's errand.
"In the scenario that there are any guilty findings ... Manchester City [will] choose, perfectly reasonably, to appeal under Premier League appeal rules that will move forward, and that could be another three, six, nine, or 12 months at least.
"Crucially, at the same moment they are reviewing the decision, even in the scenario of any guilty findings, then the question of sanctioning would most likely be pushed down the road.
"I don't think these matters get resolved the way that the APT (Associated Party Transaction) case did, in an out-of-court settlement between the Premier League and Manchester City. I want to be really clear on that.
"I think it would be a terrible mistake for the Premier League to be tempted or for both sides think, 'You know what, let's just reach an agreement for a reasonable sanction, a reasonable settlement, and move on'.
"I think that would be a terrible mistake. It would be impossible to keep everybody happy. The smart decision, if I'm the chairman of the Premier League, is: let's leave it to the lawyers. Let's leave it to the process, which everybody signed up to."
That process could end up going through the civil courts of England and Wales, starting in the high court and potentially graduating all the way up to the Supreme Court.
The binding nature of a decision in court would have implications for other clubs in future, which Purslow believes is crucial. He went on: "My point is a simple one. When this is left to the judges, however frustrating it is that it takes so long, it will be in the land of precedent.
"The precedent is sporting sanction. The sporting sanction is likely to be major points deductions, which ultimately could translate into relegation."
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