Cogan expects City's appeal to be heard early next year

No penalty has been announced yet, but City could face a significant points deduction leading to relegation, and there is even speculation that they could be stripped of the three league titles they won between 2009 and 2018.

Independent regulator chair David Cogan told Times Radio on Wednesday, "The Premier League has said it wants to resolve this case during the season, and of course, it is not a matter for the Premier League, but for an independent commission that will hear it, composed of three retired judges or lawyers."

He added, "As I understand it, there is a specific 12-week process, so people assume the case will actually be heard by mid-to-late January."

He continued, "But as I said, this is not our process, but the process of the league's independent commission. And what I don't think we can do is pass any judgment before things are fully clarified."

Cogan had previously said on Tuesday that he would resign if any future investigations by the regulator into City were subjected to political interference.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham faced criticism for his remarks, in which he said he would be "very concerned" if City's Emirati owners decided to leave the club following the verdict.

The British Prime Minister's office was later forced to walk back these comments, asserting that no one is "above the rules." Burnham, who served as Mayor of Greater Manchester from 2017 until June 2026, has since published all his dealings with City's management. Cogan said, "We have not faced any interference at all from any party since we established the regulator a year ago. We cannot, while regulating football affairs, be subject to political interference in the decisions we make regarding owners, directors, or anything else."

He continued, "And I would not be prepared to actually run an organization that is subject to this level of interference."

For his part, the team's Italian coach, Enzo Maresca, said last week that he has "full trust" in the club, noting that he believes City will win the appeal.