The Manchester City case has not been sentenced so far; many teams are dissatisfied and say that if they are innocent, the Premier League CEO resigns

Hupu August 15th TheAthleticUK correspondent Jacob Whitehead wrote the Manchester City case update column before the opening of the new season.

This summer, Premier League officials said privately that they don't know when the verdict will come out, but that any holiday they book will bring a laptop for work.

At the same time, Premier League CEO Masters is ready to return to London from the US summer series, waiting for the verdict to come out.

Neither Manchester City nor the Premier League specifically expressed their views on the case in public or private, but both sides expressed confidence in conversations with relevant lawyers and officials. This is expected, but it doesn't make much sense - both sides have been sticking to their own views for a while.

is of great importance, and it is far more than Manchester City's results, whether they will be damaged. What was discussed at the hearing, but the Athletic revealed in March that the core figure of the alleged inappropriate sponsorship was Jabir Mohamed, a key assistant to the current Abu Dhabi chief Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ).

If Manchester City is found guilty, this will raise some disturbing questions, which are much more than the club itself, not only about the source of funding for sponsored funds, but also whether the UAE's highest authority is aware of the funds. When contacted in March, they were reluctant to comment.

And in the Premier League, Masters is fighting for his future. Several clubs were dissatisfied with how the Manchester City case was handled and privately stated that if Manchester City were innocent, the Premier League CEO might have to resign.

(Several club sarefrustrated at the way the City case has been managed and have privately expressed the belief that theleague’s chief may have to resign the Cityarent foundguilty.)

All these reasons have led to the relevant personnel involved in the case saying that the confidentiality provisions of the case are the strictest they have ever seen.

Under the Premier League regulations, Masters could hardly speak publicly about Manchester City's case and could only state that the process was conducted by an independent group, and he had no jurisdiction over it. But according to the usual social rules, transparency is often appreciated by the public, and opaque progress in legal proceedings will only weaken the global image of the Premier League.

The latest example happened on Thursday afternoon, after Masters finished his introduction, the issue of the Manchester City case continued - so did transparency.

Is he disappointed that it has not been resolved?

"I really can't comment, and there is a good reason.

As you know, our rules are very clear. From the time the allegations and allegations are published to the final ruling, I can't talk about any procedural issues. It's wrong to guess when or if there is any dissatisfaction in this system." Will the final ruling be made public? Masters sighed and adjusted his seat before answering.

"This is an independent selection group," he stressed. "They are responsible for this case. They are responsible for the process and timing. We have no influence on it. So we have to wait patiently for these things to happen."

"Our rules stipulate that the final ruling will be made public once it is published. I believe this ruling will be the same."

But these concerns are normal. Even if Manchester City's verdict was made in the beginning of the season, the likelihood of appeal is high. Time starts over.

Assuming that Manchester City is convicted, will points be deducted immediately, or will the punishment be put on hold until the appeal process is over? Of course, the Premier League cannot comment on the process.

So, we have come to this point again. Welcome to the 2025-26 season, a season where everything can change — or anything can change.