City's 115 Charges: Borson Says Owners' Confidence Won't Be Enough

City's owners remain defiant, but the appeal is a long shot

Manchester City's owners still believe they have done nothing wrong. That conviction has not wavered, even as the Premier League's case against them grinds on. Stefan Borson, a former financial adviser at the club, told Football Insider that the men in charge are adamant about their innocence — and that certainty is driving their approach to the appeal.

"They believe they have done nothing wrong," Borson said of the ownership. "That does not match at all with the finding of the independent commission. And that is all that matters right now."

An independent board has already found City guilty, and the owners have pointed to what they call "irrefutable evidence" against the charges. Supporters across the Premier League are still waiting to see it. Many of them want City booted out of the division entirely because of the rule-breaking they believe has taken place.

Borson is clear that avoiding any punishment at this stage is extremely unlikely. He can't see a path to a complete escape. What he can envisage is City's legal team chipping away at the margins of the decision — picking at the edges, as he put it, rather than overturning the whole thing.

That would require the appeal board to spot something very clear: a misapplication of law, a misunderstanding of a statement or fact, or a faulty recollection of evidence. Borson rates those possibilities as very, very unlikely. But if they exist, City will find them.

Leading the appeal is Lord David Pannick KC, described by Bryan King as one of the best barristers in the country. Pannick played a key role in 2020 when City fought off a two-year ban from European competition. The Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned that ban on appeal. It is the kind of result the club will be hoping for again, though the current process is impossible to predict.

For supporters, the situation has split the room. Many are choosing to follow the owners, sticking with the people who have delivered so much success. Others are turning away and want a change of leadership instead. It is a messy situation, and there is no tidy resolution in sight.

City's owners continue to battle the charges, claiming innocence. Borson's assessment suggests that fight will be fought on narrow ground. The confidence is there. Whether it is justified is another matter entirely.