The implications and concerns (or lack of concerns) surrounding Manchester City's 115 FFP Charges.

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“These are proceedings that take whatever time they take and when we’re done, we’ll have a conversation. I’ll give you my very blunt views, I promise you that. I have very strong views on that, but I am going to be unfortunately very restrained today.”

The words of Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, as he sits speaking to Manchester City's official media team accompanied by the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League trophies, speak volumes about the club's feelings on a potentially era ending threat that lingers over the club like a dark cloud.

For context, City are currently facing 115 charges from the Premier League for breaching numerous different rules. Most significantly, however, they're under investigation for serious cases of financial mismanagement, such as undisclosed payments to former employees and unregistered sponsorship deals with companies owned by the Abu Dhabi government.

Al-Mubarak's comments don't give off the sense that he may be worried about the charges, nor do they suggest that he's angry, frustrated or possessed by a sense of injustice. He seemed... unbothered. Composed. In control.

And that's exactly the way City manager Pep Guardiola feels too. Confidence breeds confidence - so it is only natural that the Catalan feels the same way as Al-Mubarak, given that he'll be constantly reassured that he has nothing to fear.

"Wait. We are innocent. The people has to know it. We are innocent and the moment it's going to sentence, okay, we're going to talk about that."

Essentially, Guardiola is reminding the world that City are innocent until proven guilty. That quote comes from a press conference after Everton's ten point deduction for overspending the FFP mark by £24 million in five seasons. Naturally, this led many journalists and supporters to question what this had in store for City, and just how severe a punishment they could end up facing.

But what people are failing to point out is the difference between the Everton and the City cases. Firstly, Everton pleaded guilty to their case - making it a much easier and quicker legal process - whereas City continue to strongly deny any wrongdoing.

Then there's the fact the two clubs are being punished for different things. Everton's case was reasonably cut and dry; they'd overspent by a fairly significant amount, which is definitely a breach of the rules. They didn't try to deny it, and were subsequently punished.

Also, there is the strength of the respective legal teams of the two clubs. Yes, Everton are a multi-million pound business, who can afford exceptional lawyers, but City are rich enough to recruit the absolute best in the world.

City's lead lawyer Lord David Pannick, is reported to be charging the club a startling £5,000 an hour for his role in trying to prove City's innocence. If we work on the basis that he works eight hours a day, five days a week, then that equates to £200,000 a week, which is more than the vast majority of City's players.

Pannick has represented influential figures before, such as former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and he was also employed to help the club with their UEFA FFP Charges, which City were able to overcome with just a fine for a lack of co-operation. He's an experienced lawyer who the club trusts to help them overcome their difficulties as swiftly as possible.

And the final difference comes with the number of charges. Everton were faced with one - and now a second - charge that would be fairly swift to go through. City, on the other hand, have been hit with 115 charges (as rival fans like to remind us) that need to be addressed by lawyers. This of course will take a much longer time to get through, just based on the fact there is more content to examine.

Many of those who criticise City would point to the fact that playing the long game is an indication that the club are guilty. But then again, the same applies for the Premier League; it took years for them to gather enough evidence against City to charge them, so they clearly don't have any irrefutable evidence that would mean any sort of short term panic for the club.

There is no "smoking gun" - a piece of crucial evidence missed in the UEFA FFP investigation. This gives me confidence as a City supporter that the club will be able to protect their status at the top of the game and avoid the type of punishment that would see the end of an era for City at the top of the game.

The latest reports would suggest that this saga will come to an official end by the end of next season, where we'll find out whether City are cleared of their charges or whether they face repercussions. But until then, it remains business as usual.

The Blues aren't letting the risk of relegation down the divisions hinder their planning in the transfer market; since the charges were announced, they have signed 21 year old defender Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig for £75 million, and have extended the contracts of Nathan Ake, Rico Lewis and Bernardo Silva to beyond the reported date of the trial.

They're clearly not letting the prospect of relegation and the subsequent mass departure of their players both them in the slightest. City are acting like a club at the top of European football, and one that expects to stay there for some time.

So this level of indifference shown by the board, with the whole footballing world baying for City's blood, gives me confidence that City's legal team will make easy work of the charges and the whole situation will have blown over by the start of the 2025/26 season.

Not that the fans of other clubs will allow the situation to blow over, of course.

In many people's minds, City were found guilty when the charges were announced on February 6th 2023. For others, it was in 2020, when City's Champions League charges that'd have seen them banned from Europe for two seasons were declared to the world. But for many, many more, City's guilty verdict came back in September 2009, when a takeover group led by Sheikh Mansour bought the club from previous owner Thaksin Shinawatra.

State owned football teams are looked upon in a certain way by fans of other clubs. There are obvious issues that many people understandably have with some features of Middle Eastern culture - the fact that homosexuality, a basic human right in the UK, remains illegal, for example, hits home for a lot of people.

But for a large amount, it is just green eyed jealousy.

Every football fan in the world would give an arm and a leg for anything near the level of success that City have achieved since 2008. Whilst some supporters of lower league and mid table Premier League clubs relish having a new club in City at the top of football, others are understandably either dismissive of City's success due to the large amount of money spent or are just simply jealous that Sheikh Mansour didn't choose to invest in their club.

And then, of course, there are the supporters of the clubs who have experienced their club as having a prolonged period of success: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea. The fans of those four clubs are most vocal in their criticism of City largely because of their big fanbases, but for another reason too.

If City were just another mid-table club without any real ambitions of trophy success, then United would've added to their 13 Premier League titles. Liverpool would definitely have won more than just the one, and there'd have been extra domestic trophies for United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea too at the very least.

Having City in as extra competition for the big trophies is a big sting in the tail, particularly for United fans, who used to mock City for not winning trophies for many years. Now, the tables have turned, with United having not won the league for nearly 11 years whilst City could well win it for the fourth year in a row this time around.

With rumours of an update on City's situation expected at some point next week, we could be approaching make or break time for City. Either they're guilty and have to face the music, which could involve points deductions, trophies stripped or even relegation, or they're not guilty, meaning they're free to continue like before. But either way, City are already guilty in the eyes of the majority.

To some people, there will always be an asterisk next to any success City have achieved since the takeover. Winning the FA Cup in 2011, seeing Sergio Aguero's late winner to clinch the title from United's grasp against QPR in 2012, winning the league again under Manuel Pellegrini in 2014, winning the league with 100 points under Guardiola in 2018, achieving the domestic quadruple the next year, coming back to beat Villa 3-2 in 2022 on the final day to win the league, and, of course, winning the treble and following it up with UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup success in 2023, is all deemed by some to be completely irrelevant.

But, even if all those trophies are taken away, City fans will have still witnessed those moments, and unless a scientist comes up with some sort of mind altering invention for if City are found guilty of the charges, no-one can make fans forget about said moments.

For what it's worth, I think City probably did breach Financial Fair Play rules at some point. But I also think that the FFP rules were designed by the old fashioned big clubs in order to try and maintain a closed shop, and therefore have no place in the game, more so than overspending from City, Everton or any other club.

I would also be sad to see City hit with the charges, as the full force of relegation would mean the club would be somewhat recognisable. It'd still be Manchester City, but all those associated with it - the board, coaches and staff, would all likely jump ship and seek refuge elsewhere.

But, I also don't think that City will be punished in the way that many people expect them to. Any form of financial mismanagement will have had a very limited impact on the success they've had on the pitch, if any at all. The coaching of Guardiola, the individual brilliance of players, the efficient spending of the board, that is what has won City five titles in the past six seasons.

And that is what will continue to happen, so long as City continue to make the right decisions off the pitch, and most importantly, see off this round of FFP allegations and continue to function in the way they have.