Manchester City reportedly found guilty on 114 of 115 Premier League charges

Manchester City has reportedly been found guilty of 114 of 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations, according to the timeline published by AFP Sport. The reported verdict follows a case that has been under scrutiny for almost eight years. The allegations emerged in November 2018, when German publication Der Spiegel reported that City had attempted to bypass UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules through backdated payments from Abu Dhabi-based sponsors.

City rejected the claims, saying the material had been obtained through an illegal hack and formed part of an organised attempt to damage the club’s reputation. UEFA and the Premier League opened investigations in March 2019. In February 2020, UEFA banned City from European competitions for two seasons and imposed a €30 million fine after an independent panel found that the club had overstated sponsorship revenue in accounts submitted between 2012 and 2016.

City appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. In July 2020, CAS overturned the European ban and reduced the fine to €10 million, finding that most alleged breaches had either not been established or were time-barred. It nevertheless upheld a penalty for the club’s failure to cooperate with the investigation.

In February 2023, the Premier League referred City to an independent commission over more than 100 alleged breaches, including claims concerning financial information, profitability and sustainability rules, and cooperation with investigations. City denied wrongdoing and said it possessed extensive evidence supporting its position. The commission hearing began in London in September 2024 and ended in December that year, when the panel retired to consider its verdict.

The reported finding comes after City won four successive Premier League titles and follows Pep Guardiola’s departure in May 2025 after 10 years as manager. The supplied material does not state the punishment or the club’s next legal step.