Date set for hearing into Premier League charges against Manchester City

A date has been set for an independent commission to hear Premier League financial charges against Manchester City, the league’s chief executive Richard Masters has told MPs.

Masters did not reveal the date but said the case was “progressing”, as he insisted that all top-flight clubs were being treated equally under the league’s rules.

Everton face the prospect of two points deductions for breaches of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) before any conclusion is reached in the Manchester City case, even though charges were laid in the City case in February last year.

Nottingham Forest also face a sanction after they were referred to an independent commission in relation to PSR on Monday along with Everton. A member of the Toffees’ fan advisory board, Julie Clarke, was sat directly behind Masters during the hearing of the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) committee on Tuesday morning wearing an Everton shirt.

Masters was asked by MPs whether he could understand fans’ frustrations on the differing timescales of these financial cases and said: “They are very different charges, that’s all I would say.

“If any club, whether the current champions or otherwise, had been found in breach of the spending rules for year 23, they would be in exactly the same position as Everton or Nottingham Forest, but the volume and character of the charges laid before Manchester City – which I obviously cannot talk about – are being heard in a completely different environment.

“There is a date set for that proceeding, unfortunately I can’t tell you when that is, but that is progressing.”

City were charged with more than 100 rule breaches last year following an investigation which the Premier League said began in December