Manchester City found guilty of more than 100 Premier League breaches
An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of more than 100 alleged financial-rule breaches covering 2009 to 2018, as well as most charges concerning cooperation with the league’s investigation. City deny wrongdoing and plan to appeal, while possible penalties include points deductions, a fine or expulsion.
Manchester City face an uncertain future after an independent commission found the club guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules covering a nine-year period. The commission ruled that City had arranged deals described in the supplied material as sham transactions, allegedly inflating revenues and reducing costs by more than £900 million. The findings relate to the period from 2009 to 2018, when the club won three league titles.
City were also found guilty of most of the charges concerning a failure to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation. The club continues to deny wrongdoing and has until Friday to appeal the decision. The eventual punishment has not been determined.
Premier League rules allow for measures including a substantial points deduction, a fine or expulsion from the top division. The scale of the case has also prompted speculation about possible title-stripping and compensation claims from other clubs. Former Premier League chairman David Bernstein said that, if City’s appeal failed, the club could not remain in the league.
Former Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow told the BBC that clubs could seek compensation. Former City defender Micah Richards described the findings as devastating, while former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said players could feel that parts of their careers had acquired an asterisk. Both comments were reported in the supplied material.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters called the case and decision the most significant in the competition’s history. He said the ruling established facts about City’s conduct and that the league wanted to act quickly to give clubs, fans and the competition certainty. City became a dominant Premier League force after Sheikh Mansour’s 2008 takeover.
They have won eight league titles and the Champions League, which they lifted for the first time in 2023. The commission held its hearing in 2024 after the league charged City with more than 100 breaches. City’s next listed fixture is against Liverpool at Anfield on October 11.
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