Man City and the rest of the Premier League will have to wait until the new year to find out a “concrete” update on their financial fair play case, according to former Everton CEO Keith Wyness.

An independent commission hearing to examine 115 charges laid by the Premier League against the Citizens started in September.

The Premier League opened an investigation into Man City way back in 2018 and after a number of legal delays, charges were finally laid in February 2023 and the club were referred to an independent commission.

The charges against the Citizens relate to the requirement to accurately report financial information, including around the value of sponsorship deals, the submission of details of manager and player pay information and to a club’s responsibility as a Premier League member to adhere to UEFA’s financial regulations and to the league’s own profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

They are also accused of failing to co-operate with the league’s investigation. In all, there are charges relating to every season between 2009-10 and 2022-23.

Man City issued a statement strenuously denying the allegations on the day the charges were brought, saying they they welcomed the opportunity for an independent commission “to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of our position”.

The club added: “As such, we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer doubts Man City will be relegated if found guilty of the charges against them.

McAteer said: “Right now, there’s 115 charges being investigated. Why’s it taken so long when they can find Everton and Forest guilty so quickly? They issued the punishments. I know there’s a lot more charges, and City are innocent until proven guilty, but there’s 115 charges! They’ll be very lucky to get away with every single one of them.

“I have my own take on why it’s taken so long. I think there are a lot of other outside elements to consider that go beyond a purely sporting decision. The lawyers are going at it and they’re trying to find an outcome which suits everybody.

“As a Liverpool fan, if City are found guilty, of course it will disappoint me. Whether you want to use the word cheated or whether you want to say they bent the rules by having really good accountants, it’s still not right.

“Cheating is a very, very strong word, but if that’s what they get caught doing, then of course (I’ll be disappointed).

“The Liverpool players put so much into their tussles with City over a four-year period. To find out that a team has bent the rules so significantly to gain such a significant advantage – Liverpool lost two potential titles by a single point – and has dominated British football for the last five, six, seven years, then, it would really, really disappoint me. We’re not at that stage yet and we’ll have to see what the outcome is.

“I think if City are found guilty, then financially, they can cope with whatever the fine is. They’ve got bottomless pockets of money, so that’s not really going to hurt them, but from a points perspective, they’re going to have to set an example.

“Even if the league took 40 points off them, they’d still probably finish in the Europa League. A transfer embargo for two or three seasons could be another way of looking at it.

“I don’t think City will get relegated if they’re found guilty. I think the Premier League needs them. I think the government needs them. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

And former Everton CEO Wyness insists that Man City and other Premier League clubs will have to wait a while longer until they find out anything “concrete”.

Wyness told Football Insider: “We’re all watching every week, every day at the moment. There have been no leaks, I’ve certainly heard nothing in the football circles.

“I think it’s going to be into the new year before we hear something concrete on this case.

“We’ll have to buckle down and get through Christmas. Then we can expect to brighten up our January with some exciting news on an outcome.”