Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, the league confirmed on Tuesday.
Gatekeepers News reports that an independent commission found the club guilty of breaching the rules between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons. City was also found guilty of three of four charges relating to its failure to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation.
The case centres on allegations that City used so-called “sham” commercial agreements that misrepresented the true nature of sponsorship arrangements. According to the commission’s findings, the arrangements artificially increased the club’s revenues and reduced its reported costs by more than £900 million during the period under review.
The commission also found that City submitted misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from auditors and football regulators. It concluded that the club had therefore failed to accurately report its income and expenditure under the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules and UEFA’s financial regulations.
The Premier League said some of the sponsorship arrangements involved companies paying only part of the agreed fees, with the remainder funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, the company that owned the club at the time.
The commission further found that City committed multiple breaches of its duties to cooperate with the league during the four-year investigation, with three of the four alleged charges upheld.
The league said the sanctions for the breaches have not yet been decided. A separate hearing will determine the appropriate punishment, meaning reports about possible points deductions or other sporting sanctions are not yet final.
Manchester City has rejected the findings and said it intends to appeal. The club described itself as “disappointed and surprised” by the commission’s decision and maintained that it was innocent of the allegations. City has until October 2 to lodge its appeal.
The Premier League began its investigation in December 2018 before formally referring the case to an independent commission in February 2023. The commission’s hearing lasted 42 days and concluded in December 2024.
