Timing of verdict on Man City's 115 charges out of our hands: Premier League CEO

India Today

3 days ago

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters defended the league's judicial process on Wednesday, amid criticism over the slow pace of Manchester City's disciplinary case involving 115 charges of alleged financial rule breaches.Speaking at the Premier League season launch event in Liverpool, Masters explained that once charges are brought forward, the matter is passed to an independent panel, which operates entirely autonomously.advertisement"It's an independent judiciary essentially," Masters told Sky Sports. "They are then in charge of the process and its timings. They hear the case, they decide the outcome and we have no influence over it or its timing."
Masters declined to speculate on when a verdict might be reached, but acknowledged the frustration surrounding lengthy legal proceedings."My frustration is irrelevant really, I just have to wait. Legal processes rarely take less time than you anticipated. But we have to be patient," he said.The Premier League boss also addressed speculation over staging matches abroad, after LaLiga's plan for a fixture between Villarreal and Barcelona in Miami received approval from the Spanish football federation (RFEF) on Monday.He insisted that the controversial "Game 39" proposal - an additional competitive match staged outside Britain - remained off the table."I think that (LaLiga) match that's been talked about, there's a long road to go yet about whether that will actually happen," Masters said."It hasn't changed our view about matches abroad. We did look at the 39th game way back when with lots of controversy... Our objective at the time was how to grow the Premier League around the world. We've been able to do that through different means," he added.Masters also responded to concerns over the competitiveness of newly promoted clubs, after all three teams relegated last season - Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton - had only just come up.A similar pattern occurred in the 2023-24 campaign, when Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United were all relegated back to the Championship after only one year in the top flight.He pointed to the success stories of Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Fulham, who were promoted for the 2022-23 season and are "performing extremely well in the Premier League three years later"."It's never going to be easy... The Premier League is becoming more competitive. The Championship is a fantastic division. We want it to be successful. We want there to be an influx of different clubs coming in and out. So it's something we need to keep an eye on," Masters said.advertisementHe also confirmed that the newly established independent football regulator is expected to begin operations in October or November."We are the first country, major football nation to be regulated in this way," he said. *"The Premier League operates in a global environment. So naturally we have some concerns, but the main thing is that I think the regulator doesn't start from the position that football is somehow broken in this country..."All of the key indicators are really positive for the whole of the pyramid, for the England teams, men's and women's. So, I think there is lots to be really proud about and the regulator should really be intervening where absolutely necessary."*The 2025-26 Premier League season kicks off on Friday, when defending champions Liverpool host Bournemouth.- EndsTrending Reel