Man City charges LIVE: Settlement talks with Premier League as punishments agreed

Hello and welcome to The Mirror's live blog on Saturday, October 10, as Premier League action returns following the extended international break.

Manchester City are set to return to the pitch for the first time since being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. The club have already launched an appeal after an Independent Commission found them guilty of 114 out of 115 charges relating to the period between 2009-10 and 2017-18.

The allegations include claims that more than £830million in owner funding was used to inflate the club’s revenues through so-called 'sham' agreements. Speculation continues to mount over the potential sanctions City could face, with possible punishments ranging from a substantial fine and points deduction to the prospect of expulsion from the Premier League.

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Manager Enzo Maresca has since addressed the media for the first time following the verdict, insisting he has 'complete trust' in the club as attention turns to their return to competitive action.

"Personally, I'm very calm to be honest," said Maresca. "The club has been quite clear. We trust completely the club.

"We understand the noise, but the focus for us is just what we can control and we can control just the football side."

City will face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday with a scheduled kick-off for 4:30pm.

Gary Neville has warned the Premier League that a decision needs to be made on Manchester City’s appeal or they will be risking ‘absolute uproar’.

Speaking on the Overlap Daily, the former Manchester United star said: “It will be very difficult for everybody in football to watch Manchester City win the league this year. Psychologically, it would be a huge problem for the game.

Rui Pinto has had his protection restored by the Portuguese authorities in a rapid U-turn. Pinto’s Football Leaks website was key in Manchester City having 115 Premier League charges levelled against them.

Pinto in the meantime has also been left uncomfortable, having seen his witness protection revoked by the Portuguese authorities. He had previously received protection since 2020.

But the 37-year-old whistleblower has now had that restored for the time being, with a statement signed from the Ministry of Justice stating that Pinto had not been adequately informed of the grounds for terminating the programme or given the opportunity to exercise his right to challenge the decision.

The Athletic reports that several executives from Premier League clubs are not expecting the sanction to be direct expulsion, due to relying on the backing of clubs. For City to be thrown out of the Premier League, 14 of the clubs would have to vote in favour of the sanction.

That would not be the case with other punishments, including fines or points deductions. Another option for the commission could be to recommend a deduction that would effectively guarantee relegation from the division and into the Championship, rather than kicking City out directly.

There is, however, a fear that a huge points deduction would undermine the league’s competitive integrity and reduce the television product on offer. It could leave City effectively playing games that won’t have an impact on their future, as they could already be relegated via the deduction.

Manchester City reportedly held settlement talks with the Premier League prior to the independent commission delivering their guilty verdict last month. City, still strongly deny any wrongdoing and have appealed the decision after they were found guilty of all but one of the alleged charges.

Now, in a report by Bloomberg, the Premier League side held talks with the top-flight's governing body to discuss an 'early-stage settlement' but those discussions broke down. The report claims that any punishment would have been a hefty financial payment, rather than the stripping of titles and relegation, according to those sourced.

It's claimed those talks quickly fell apart with City adamant about their innocence in the matter. The sheer amount of charges means the reported financial proposal would have only reduced the size of the case, rather than resolved it.

Welcome to The Mirror's live blog on Manchester City's charges.