Man City's on-field woes could be dwarfed by legal defeat

LONDON : Premier League champions Manchester City's well-chronicled troubles on the field this season could pale into insignificance in the coming weeks if an independent commission rules that the club has breached multiple financial regulations.

City's unexpected meltdown on the pitch has all but knocked Pep Guardiola's side out of contention for a fifth successive title and they are even in danger of exiting the Champions League at the first stage.

But while form is temporary and fixable, a much larger and darker cloud has stationed itself over the Abu Dhabi-owned club that in the last decade has amassed a vast haul of silverware and become the dominant force in English soccer.

Three judges appointed by the independent chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel spent more than two months listening to evidence and submissions in relation to the 115 charges brought against City two years ago.

City have always denied any wrongdoing and said at the time of the referral to the Premier League's independent commission that they were surprised by the league's "issuing of these alleged breaches."

All eyes will now be on the verdict, which is expected soon, and, in the event of City being found guilty of the most serious charges against them, how draconian the punishment might be.

While Everton and Nottingham Forest both fell foul of the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules last season and were duly docked points, the allegations against City are in a different league, both in terms of their seriousness and duration.

The multitude of charges run from 2009 to the 2022-23 season but arguably the most damaging allegation is that every season from 2009-10 to 2017-18 the club failed to provide accurate financial