Manchester City Appeals After a Landmark Guilty Verdict

A case that began with a Premier League investigation in 2018 has reached a verdict, though not yet an ending. On 29 September the Premier League published the findings of an independent commission. It found Manchester City guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the league's financial rules between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons. It also upheld three of four charges that the club failed to cooperate with the investigation.

According to the league's statement, the commission found that City used sham commercial arrangements to inflate revenue and reduce costs by more than £900 million over that period. Some sponsors paid only part of their fees, and the club's Abu Dhabi owner made up the difference. Had the accounts been accurate, the commission said, City would have breached both Premier League and UEFA spending limits by a very large margin. Chief executive Richard Masters called it "the most significant" case in the league's history.

The club's response

City lodged what it called a "comprehensive" appeal ahead of the 2 October deadline. It says the decision contains "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe," and maintains that it is innocent. Under league rules, a new three-member appeal board will be appointed, and the hearing is expected to conclude within 12 weeks, AP reported.

No sanction has been set. Penalties will be decided at a separate, confidential hearing. Possible punishments include fines and points deductions, and in the most extreme case expulsion from the league, which has never happened to a top-flight club.

Why it matters

City won eight league titles between 2012 and 2024. The outcome will test whether the league can enforce its rules on a club with state-linked owners. Anyone who owns, values or is thinking of buying a stake in an English club will be following it closely.

Sources: Premier League, Associated Press, Euronews, Al Jazeera.