Richard Masters on Manchester City Case: Process Over Impatience

Richard Masters knows everyone is tired of waiting. He is, too. But the Premier League chief executive is adamant the long-running Manchester City case will be decided on procedure, not public pressure.

Speaking at a launch event on Tuesday and later with talkSPORT, Masters acknowledged the glaring absence of a resolution to the financial charges hanging over City. The club were first charged back in February 2023. An independent commission has already held its hearing, which wrapped up in December 2024. Still, no verdict.

“As every day elapses, we must be a day nearer,” Masters said. “I obviously can't comment on it. I do understand the frustration. It has taken longer than expected, but we have to follow the process.”

That line matters. The Premier League is under fire from all sides: from rival clubs demanding clarity, from supporters accusing the league of double standards, and from those who believe the title races of recent years sit under a cloud. Masters’ answer is to lean on the legal framework, not the noise.

For him, the job is clear. The independent commission must be allowed to get to the bottom of the allegations, however long that takes.

“In the end, the Premier League's responsibility is to ask the Independent Commission to look at serious allegations and to establish the truth,” he said. “That shouldn't be qualified by it taking too long, for example.”

No timelines. No hints. Just a reminder that the league has handed the case to a body designed to sit above the weekly storm.

The comparison with Chelsea was inevitable, and Masters did not dodge it. Chelsea were hit with a £10 million fine and a suspended transfer ban for historical breaches. Their case moved far more quickly, and their punishment is already on the record.

Manchester City’s situation is different. Sharper. More complex. And, crucially, contested.

Masters highlighted that contrast. Chelsea’s new ownership, he explained, came forward voluntarily with information about historical issues. That cooperation opened the door to a sanction agreement, a route the Premier League felt able to take.

“In the situation with Chelsea, obviously it's historic. It's very different to PSR cases,” Masters said. “In the case of Chelsea, the new owners came forward with all the information, and we decided to enter a sanction agreement.”

City’s path has been anything but straightforward. The league has levelled multiple serious allegations, and the club has fought them. When evidence is incomplete, when key witnesses are missing, when the stakes are enormous, Masters argued that only a fully contested commission can carry the weight of the decision.

That is why this has dragged. And why it may drag longer still.

For those demanding swift justice, that explanation will not soften the impatience. For the Premier League, though, the calculation is stark: rush and risk the integrity of the process, or endure the criticism and let the commission finish its work.

Masters has nailed his colours to the latter. The next move belongs to the independent panel – and when it finally arrives, there will be no hiding place for anyone involved.