Manchester City have been found guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules covering nine seasons, with the club now facing an appeal process before any potential sanction is determined.
An independent Commission found City guilty of all charges relating to serious financial breaches between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, as well as the majority of charges concerning the club’s failure to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation.
The Commission found that City had arranged “sham” contracts with several commercial partners that misrepresented the true agreements between the parties.
It concluded that the arrangements artificially increased the club’s revenues and reduced its costs, while also finding that City had filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from auditors and football regulators.
The Commission said the schemes had artificially inflated City’s revenues and reduced its costs by more than £900 million during the period under investigation. It also found that the club would have been in significant breach of both Premier League and UEFA spending limits had the relevant agreements been accurately recorded.
City have strongly rejected the findings and said they intend to pursue the available appeal process.
In a statement, the club said: “Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission that has been published.”
“The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League, and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions relating to this case.”
City added that it would be “relentless” in pursuing the appropriate regulatory and legal avenues and argued that the Commission’s opinion contained “clear material errors of law, principle and fact”.
The club has until Friday, October 2, to lodge an appeal against the Commission’s findings.
The Premier League investigation began in December 2018 before a formal complaint was issued in February 2023. The independent Commission subsequently held a 42-day hearing, which concluded in December 2024.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the decision established the facts of what happened during the period under investigation.
“The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade,” Masters said.
He described the case and decision as the most significant disciplinary matter in Premier League history, while stressing that the process had not yet reached its conclusion.
The issue of sanctions will be dealt with separately by the independent Commission. The Premier League’s rules allow for a range of possible sanctions, including fines, points deductions and other sporting measures, but no punishment has been announced at this stage.
The league said it wanted the remaining process, including any appeal and the publication of relevant decisions, completed as soon as possible.
For City, the immediate focus is therefore on the appeal deadline. The club maintains that the Commission’s findings are unsafe, while the Premier League has said the decision establishes the facts of the breaches.
The eventual outcome will depend on the appeal process and the separate sanction hearing.
