Ferran Soriano has reportedly told leading European club executives that Man City‘s legal battle with the Premier League still has “a lot more time” to run.
The City chief executive made the comment during a European Football Clubs board meeting in Copenhagen, according to Press Association reporting carried by the Manchester Evening News. Manchester United chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc and Everton owner Dan Friedkin were among those present.
Soriano addresses lengthy Man City legal process
Reports emerged last week that an independent commission had found City in breach of 114 financial rules following the long-running Premier League case. The club has not accepted that as the end of the matter. City maintain their innocence and have stressed that the process remains ongoing, with an appeal expected.
Soriano’s reported comments in Copenhagen offered an indication of just how long the City hierarchy believes the dispute could continue.
“It’s taken eight years to get here, and it’s going to take a lot more time,” he reportedly told fellow executives.
Soriano did not subsequently speak to reporters on the record, but his remarks tally with the public position taken by City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak following last week’s reports. In an open letter to supporters, Al Mubarak said City’s confidence in its position had not changed.
“The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the Club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began,” he wrote.
Al Mubarak also explained that confidentiality surrounding the case prevented him from setting out the reasons for that confidence in greater detail.
“There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position,” he said.
“But the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it means I cannot do that at the moment.”
City’s accompanying club statement was similarly careful. It said the Premier League process “remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed”, while reiterating the position the club first set out when the charges were announced in February 2023. That makes Soriano’s comments significant less for what they reveal about the substance of City’s case than for what they suggest about the timescale.
There is still no confirmed date for the process to reach its conclusion and, judging by what City’s chief executive reportedly told his counterparts in Copenhagen, the club isn’t expecting a quick resolution. Our previous update on City’s legal appeal and the latest developments covers how the position developed following last week’s reports.
The message from City’s senior leadership is now consistent. Al Mubarak has publicly warned supporters that the process has “a long way to run”, while Soriano has reportedly delivered much the same message privately to some of European football’s most senior executives.
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