Manchester City is said to be in a years-long dispute over violations of financial rules Premier League been found guilty on almost all charges. According to a report by The Athletic, the independent commission found violations in 114 of the original 115 allegations. The medium relies on people familiar with the process who remained anonymous due to confidentiality. Other British media also reported on the decision.
The verdict has not yet been officially published. According to the reports, a decision has not yet been made about possible sanctions. Manchester City is therefore expected to appeal.
The club expressed caution accordingly. “The Premier League process is ongoing. There are still essential steps to be completed and it is subject to strict confidentiality,” said a spokesman, according to British media. City also referred to its previous position on the allegations.
This means that what is probably the most important financial process in the history of the Premier League is entering a new phase. The league brought Manchester City before an independent commission in February 2023 after a four-year investigation. The allegations primarily concern the seasons from 2009/10 to 2017/18 as well as the club’s subsequent cooperation with the investigators.
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Manchester City is said to have misrepresented financial information
A central part of the proceedings concerns the question of whether City provided the Premier League with correct information about its financial situation. The original list includes, among other things, 54 allegations of allegedly inaccurate financial information and 14 allegations of information about payments to players and coaches. Other points concern compliance with UEFA’s financial rules and cooperation with the Premier League, reports the BBC, among others.
Particular attention was paid to the club’s sponsorship income. The Premier League accused City of failing to correctly report revenue, business relationships and operating costs. Manchester City have always strongly denied the allegations and said their position was supported by extensive evidence.
The process took an exceptionally long time. The hearing before the independent commission began in September 2024 and ended after several weeks in December of the same year. In August 2026, Premier League boss Richard Masters said, according to the BBC, that the decision was taking longer than expected. He could not give details due to confidentiality.
Manchester City faces severe sanctions
It is currently unclear what consequences the reported guilty verdicts could have. The independent commission has extensive sanction options. According to experts, these generally range from fines to point deductions to exclusion from the Premier League. Revocation of titles has also been mentioned in the past as a theoretically possible sanction. However, nothing is known yet about a specific punishment.
Manchester City won three English championships during the period to which much of the allegations relate: 2012, 2014 and 2018. Under coach Pep Guardiola, who left in May, the club later developed into the dominant team in English football. Guardiola won six championships with City and the Champions League for the first time in 2023. In May 2026 he said goodbye to the club after ten years and a total of 20 titles.
Previous UEFA penalty against City was overturned
Manchester City has previously clashed with UEFA over its finances. The European association initially banned the club from its competitions for two years in 2020 and imposed a fine. The International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) later lifted the ban. He viewed some of the allegations as insufficiently substantiated or time-barred, but confirmed a violation due to a lack of cooperation and imposed a reduced fine.
The proceedings at that time are legally separate from the current Premier League case. The current allegations are considerably more extensive and also concern the English league’s own rules.
If the report on the 114 guilty verdicts is confirmed with official publication, the question of liability would be largely resolved. However, the amount of the sanction and the announced appeal procedure remained open. Only then will it be finally clear what sporting and financial consequences Manchester City will have to bear.
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