Man City make decision on appealing Premier League guilty verdict

It was confirmed on Tuesday that anindependent commission had found the club guilty of all but one of the 115 chargesagainst them. The commission says City had arranged 'sham' sponsorship deals, filed misstated accounts and breached spending limits to 'artificially inflate the club's revenues, and reduce its costs, by more than £900 million' from 2009 to 2018.

The Citizens have always maintained their innocence and had until Friday, October 2 to appeal the verdict. The eight-time Premier League champions have now done so, confirming the decision in a statement on Friday morning: ' Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1st October 2026 the Club lodged its comprehensive Appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter.

'The Club's firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe. Manchester City allegations timeline November 2018: German newspaper Der Spiegel publish claims Manchester City have breached FFP rules March 2019: UEFA launch investigation into the claims May 2019: Manchester City launch an appeal against the investigation November 2019: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rules the appeal as inadmissible February 2020: Manchester City are handed a two-year ban from European competition and a €30m fine by UEFA July 2020: The ban is overturned after the club appeal to CAS April 2022: Der Spiegel report the Premier League has been investigating Manchester City for three years February 2023: The Premier League charges the club with 115 breaches of its financial rules September 2024: Start of a 10-week hearing between the Premier League and Manchester City September 2026: Reports emerge that Manchester City have been found guilty on all but one of the 115 financial rules the club are accused of breaking '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.

'We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete. ' Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about - powered by Metro and trusted publications.

The saga, which has rocked English football to its core, is now set to be even further protracted. The hearing can only last five days and upon its conclusion, a decision on the appeal must be made within 30 days.

That means a final outcome on the verdict could be made as late as the end of the January 2027. Earlier on Friday, the Football Association released its own statement, suggesting they could launch their own investigation into City and impose further sanctions.

'The Independent Commission's decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game,' the FA said. 'We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.

'As proceedings between the Premier League and Manchester City Football Club remain ongoing, we do not intend to comment further at this stage. We will, however, continue to monitor developments closely.

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