I guess it's time to talk about the 115 charges hanging over Manchester City's head again - you know, that thing we never talk about.

The Citizens are staring down the barrel at a punishment the likes of which we've never seen in English football after being charged with 115 separate breaches of the Premier League's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations, all of which they deny. The charges date all the way back to 2009 and run until 2018, in which time City won seven major honours including three league titles.

The case is set to go to trial, but when will it take place and what will happen if City are found guilty? Well, allow Daily Star Sport to run through all the nuts and bolts for you.

When does the trial start?

An official date hasn't been set yet but it's due to commence in Autumn 2024.

The trial will be held behind closed doors as Premier League rules regarding FFP breaches state that any ruling before an independent commission must be held in private. This means the public will have no knowledge of the case until a final verdict is reached.

When will the trial finish?

Given the significance and size of the case, a verdict isn't expected to be reached until Summer 2025. This means that another season's worth of football will be played before City discover their fate.

The charges against the club will be investigated, reviewed and analysed by an independent commission, so there's no use expecting a hasty process.

What punishments could Man City face?

Current legislation states that there are eight different forms of punishment on offer for clubs who breach the Premier League's FFP rules. These include:

• A formal warning
• Fines (amount depending on severity of breach)
• Points deduction (amount depending on severity of breach)
• Refusal of revenue from UEFA competitions
• Prohibiting clubs to register new players to their squads for UEFA competitions
• A limit of the amount of players that can be registered in a club's squad for UEFA competitions
• Disqualification from an ongoing UEFA competition
• Exclusion from future UEFA competitions

Depending on the outcome of the trial, City could be slapped with any of the aforementioned punishments, or none of them at all.

Considering precedent (the fact Everton and Nottingham Forest have both received points deductions for single FFP breaches), a mammoth points deduction is likely to be in store if the Treble winners are indeed found guilty. Though nothing is clear-cut at this stage.

What have Man City been charged with?

They've been charged with 115 individual breaches of FFP rules, though those charges can be broken down into five separate categories:

• 54 of the charges relate to "a failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009/10 to 2017/18"
• 14 relate to "a failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009/10 to 2017/18"
• 5 relate to "a failure to comply with UEFA's regulations, including UEFA's Club and Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations"
• 7 relate to "breaches of Premier League profitability and sustainability regulations from 2015/16 to and including 2017/18 season
• 35 relate to "a failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018-present"

What this means is the club could be found guilty of some charges but not of others. It's also worth noting that just seven of the 115 charges relate to breaches of the league's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), so expecting City to receive a punishment 115-times harsher than the ones meted out to Everton and Forest is futile.

Every single charge will be taken into consideration by the independent commission and City will be judged accordingly, though given the unprecedented nature of the case, predicting the outcome is nigh on impossible.

What about the 'proposed new rules'?

Earlier this month it emerged that the Premier League was in discussion with member clubs about revamping the division's financial regulations. One major change reportedly being considered is the abolition of points deductions as well as the introduction of a 'luxury tax'.

This tax would dish out financial punishment (i.e. fines) to clubs, rather than points deductions, transfer bans or competition expungements. The logic behind this is that clubs who wish to invest (thus growing the Premier League) will be allowed to continue doing so, providing they're happy to pay a financial penalty.

The proposed move has been heavily criticised as a get-out-of-jail free card for rule-breakers, and will likely face stiff opposition if officially brought to the table.

City fans hoping such a rule change might help their cause should think again though as any legislation amendments are unlikely to be implemented before the conclusion of their trial.