Manchester City has been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against it by the Premier League, according to multiple reports. An independent panel found the club guilty of all but one of the many charges it faced over breaches of Premier League financial rules.
Background on the Case
City was charged in February 2023 after a four-year investigation, with the Premier League alleging the club failed to provide accurate financial information between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The charges, revealed after documents were leaked to a German magazine, covered a wide range of alleged wrongdoing. Among the accusations, the club was accused of overstating its sponsorship income and using a secret arrangement to double former manager Roberto Mancini’s wages.
In February 2020, UEFA’s own investigation had already found Manchester City guilty and banned the club from European football for two seasons, fining it β¬30 million, plus a further β¬10 million for failing to cooperate. That ruling didn’t stand for long: the Court of Arbitration for Sport later overturned the ban and reduced the fine to roughly $11.3 million, ruling that City had failed to cooperate with UEFA.
The Premier League case was far larger in scope. The charges included failing to provide accurate financial information, failing to disclose player and manager remuneration in full, breaching Premier League and UEFA financial fair play rules, and failing to cooperate with investigations.
The Verdict
Manchester City did not deny the guilty verdicts in a statement, saying only that the process “remains ongoing.” The Premier League declined to comment, calling it a “private and confidential process.” One notable wrinkle: a source claimed City sought an injunction to block the initial reporting of the verdict, something the club strongly denied.
City has consistently maintained its innocence throughout. The club’s position echoes its February 2023 statement, standing on having diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the league’s board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial regulator, free from partisan influence.
What Happens Next
No sanctions have yet been announced. The club β which has consistently denied wrongdoing β is expected to appeal. The possible penalties range widely, from a fine to a points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League.
Football finance experts have weighed in on what’s proportionate. One analyst believes a points deduction would be fair if City are found guilty across the board, comparable to the sanctions handed to Everton and Nottingham Forest for profit-and-sustainability breaches. But he drew a distinction on severity: if the only charge that sticks is a failure to cooperate with the investigation, rather than any charge involving actual sporting advantage, the appropriate punishment is likely financial rather than sporting.
The stakes stretch beyond City itself. Several rival clubs have already filed paperwork reserving the right to seek compensation from City for lost income tied to missing out on European competitions and league titles, should the club ultimately be found guilty.
The Trophies in Question
The period under scrutiny β 2009-10 through 2017-18 β coincided with a transformative decade for the club. Manchester City won eight trophies during the period covered by the case, including the 2010-11 FA Cup, its first major trophy in 35 years. Given City’s subsequent dominance of English football, any sanction β sporting or financial β would land on one of the most decorated eras in the club’s history.
For now, the story remains unresolved: a guilty verdict without sanctions, a club promising an appeal, and a football world waiting to see how the Premier League ultimately responds.
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