Premier League officially finds Man City guilty of breaches

Manchester City has been found guilty of arranging "sham" contracts as part of a series of financial breaches, after an independent commission ruled that the club broke Premier League financial rules over a nine-season period. The Premier League said City's alleged financial schemes artificially inflated the club's revenues and reduced its costs by more than £900 million during the period under investigation.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the ruling showed that City had "systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade". "This disciplinary case, and this decision, are the most significant in Premier League history," Masters said.

City now faces potentially severe sanctions, which could include a significant points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League. However, any punishment will be decided at a separate hearing by the independent commission.

The Premier League has not said when that hearing will take place. City has consistently denied wrongdoing and said it was "disappointed and surprised" by the verdict.

The club plans to appeal and said it would remain "relentless" in its efforts to clear its name. The Premier League said any appeal must be lodged by Friday.

In an internal video to City staff obtained by Sky News, chief executive Ferran Soriano explained why he believed the verdict was wrong. "This has gone on for so long that it is important to remind ourselves that the whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation: that the owner's personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi," he said.

Related News "This is just not true. Irrefutable evidence has been provided to the Premier League commission that shows it could not happen and that it did not happen.

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The verdict follows an investigation that began in December 2018, while the allegations first emerged in 2018 through leaked club emails and documents. The Premier League formally issued its complaint against City in February 2023.

City was accused of a series of financial violations between 2009 and 2018, a period in which the club transformed from being in the shadow of Manchester United into one of the most successful sides in English football. The breaches included failing to provide accurate financial information, submitting inflated figures for sponsorship deals linked to Abu Dhabi, concealing payments and breaching Premier League and UEFA financial regulations.