Private Premier League debate 'intensifies' as new update on Man City verdict emerges

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The verdict surrounding Manchester City's 115 financial charges has reportedly been delayed as a debate over the future of Premier League chair Alison Brittain rages on. The seven-time Premier League champions have been embroiled in a long-running legal battle since first being charged in February 2023.

And while there have been several different suggestions that a decision has been imminent, a host of key factors have seen the process hit with delays. One of those has been revolving around the future of competition chair Alison Brittain.

As per The Independent , a number of senior figures at the Premier League have been compiling opinions from club executives over whether Brittain should be given another three-year term.

Those opinions are reportedly being shaped by the progress of the case that Manchester City face, with Brittain thought to be holding huge influence. It is suggested that the debate about support for the current chair has ‘intensified’.

Meanwhile, it is further reported that club opinions could be swayed by the result of the City case, with some senior officials revealing that it would be ‘absurd’ to make such a pivotal opinion before the case is settled.

There have also been suggestions that some clubs would vote against an extended term should the case against City not end in success. Premier League powerbrokers are also concerned with a lack of clarity regarding the process, with many feeling as if they have been left in the dark.

Asked earlier this year for an update, Premier League CEO, Richard Masters , said: “I can’t answer that specific question. What I can tell you about is the system and how it works.

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“I mean, it’s an independent judiciary, essentially. So once the allegations, the charge has been put forward, they go before an independent panel, which is independently selected, and 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 that, over it or its timing. And that’s right, if you think from an independence point of view, that there is independent people making those decisions, and we just have to be waiting.

“My frustration is irrelevant, really. I mean, I just have to wait, and legal processes rarely take less time than you anticipated, but we have to be patient.”

City, for their part, have continually insisted on their innocence, while an appeal cannot be ruled out once the final verdict is reached.