Tottenham chief Daniel Levy reacts to Man City FFP charges as Gary Neville blasts ‘shameful’ saga

 Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy has explained what needs to happen in the Manchester City Financial Fair Play (FFP) case ‘for the good of the game’, while Gary Neville has slammed the Premier League’s handling of the legal battle.

After a four-year investigation into the finances of Man City, the Premier League charged the club with breaking their FFP rules on 115 occasions in February 2023. City have been accused of repeatedly providing inaccurate financial information between 2009 and 2018 and of failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation.

The Premier League claim this allowed City to spend more money than other clubs and gain a competitive advantage. Among the charges – which have subsequently been increased to 130 – City have been accused of paying a manager extra money over a four-year period via a secret contract.

City strongly deny these claims and have stated there is an ‘irrefutable body of evidence’ that will prove their innocence.

The Premier League referred Pep Guardiola’s side to an independent commission and the hearing took place between September and December last year.

Guardiola told reporters he expected the verdict to arrive in March, but that did not happen.

Reports then suggested we would find out the result over the summer. However, The Independent revealed on Thursday that the verdict is unlikely to arrive before October.

Given there could be a lengthy appeals process, the saga has the potential to impact multiple Premier League seasons. For example, if City are found guilty of the most severe charges and deducted points, then relegated clubs could launch legal cases of their own.

Former Manchester United star Neville interviewed Levy for The Overlap at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. When asked about City’s case, the Tottenham chief replied: “I think it would be really unfair of me to talk about another club within the Premier League, all I would say is that it’s going through a process which I think has gone on for far too long.

“It needs to be brought, for the good of the game, to a conclusion one way or another.”

Neville then criticised the Premier League for failing to resolve the matter sooner.

“Why’s it gone on so long? Because it’s ridiculous, I think it’s shameful it’s gone on so long, it’s shameful we can’t get our house in order quicker,” he said.

“If the Premier League can’t sort out an issue like this with one of their own clubs, how can they be charged with running the entirety of the game?”

Levy responded: “Well I, as I said, I think it was the FA that should have brought us all together. I agree, it’s unfortunate that we haven’t managed to resolve things internally rather than the recourse of the lawyers because the lawyers are going to earn a lot of money out of this.”

Premier League CEO refuses to discuss Man City charges

Premier League CEO Richard Masters was quizzed about the issue while attending the league’s Summer Series in the United States recently. He said: “You can ask but unfortunately our rules are very clear; it’s a confidential process. So I really can’t give any information out on timing or anything like that, there’s nothing more I can add. Sorry about that.”

There has been speculation City could be relegated from the Premier League altogether if they are found guilty of the worst charges against them.

But former City player Terry Phelan has urged decision-makers to ‘think about the players’ and focus on punishing the club instead. After all, he insists the players ‘haven’t done anything wrong’.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire appeared on The Overlap earlier this year to discuss City’s legal battle with the Premier League.

He suggested a 40-50 point deduction could happen when comparing the case with similar scenarios involving Everton and Nottingham Forest.

Maguire added that only four to five people in the country know the exact date when the verdict will emerge, demonstrating how much the league does not want anything to be leaked.

More on City case; exciting Spurs talks

This is not the first time Neville has blasted City and the Premier League’s legal wrangle, as he called it a ‘disgrace’ in May.

While another observer has claimed the Cityzens and the Premier League are engaged in ‘war games’ as they await the verdict.

Elsewhere, TEAMtalk can reveal Spurs have identified two top-class stars as possible replacements for Son Heung-min.