CITY HIT BACK! - Man City chief declares Premier League charges battle far from over in bombshell statement

Ferran Soriano, the Manchester City chief executive officer, is said to have stressed that the club's fight with the Premier League over the 115 charges brought against them is far from over during a European Football Clubs board meeting.

Football was rocked last week by reports that City had been found guilty of all but one of the charges against them, though the former Premier League champions are expected to appeal the verdict. Formal confirmation has yet to arrive but City's chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, released a statement over the weekend reiterating that the club were confident of clearing their name.

And Soriano, speaking at a meeting which was also attended by senior figures from other Premier League clubs, adopted a similar stance of defiance during an impromptu address on Monday.

Per The Athletic, Soriano wanted to address the reports and made it clear that the club would continue to fight against the charges.

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“It has taken eight years to reach this point and it will still take much more time,” he is understood to have said.

Soriano declined to comment further when he was asked to do so by reporters in Copenhagen after the meeting.

His comments echo similar sentiments to that of Al Mubarak, who released a statement over the weekend in the wake of the reports which claimed City have “irrefutable evidence” to help fight their case.

“I have been part of this Club for 18 years. I have had the privilege to stand with you in the Etihad, at Wembley, and in Istanbul,” City's chairman wrote in a message which also referenced previous statements made by the club.

“This Club matters to me, and you have shown and told me – time and time again - how much Manchester City matters to you. This is why I am writing to you today. Following Friday’s media reporting, many of you will have spent your evening answering questions and responding to messages from friends, family and colleagues. So have I.

“Here’s what I said to my family: The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the Club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began. There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position.

“But the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it means I cannot do that at the moment. Even this letter underwent several legal checks to make sure it complies. Every word matters and holds true.”