Premier League says Manchester City breached financial rules
The Premier League says an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of serious financial-rule breaches covering nine seasons from 2009 to 2018, including the use of sham commercial contracts. City rejects the findings, says the decision contains material errors and will appeal. No sanction has yet been imposed.
Manchester City has been found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, the league said on Tuesday. The Premier League said an independent commission found that City had arranged sham contracts with commercial partners to inflate revenue artificially. It said the arrangements concealed the club’s financial position and helped it avoid Premier League and UEFA spending limits.
The commission also found the club guilty on most charges relating to its failure to cooperate with the league’s investigation. The Premier League has not yet imposed a sanction. Premier League chairman Richard Masters said the commission’s decision established what happened at the club during the period under review.
He said the league would move through the remaining process to provide certainty for clubs, supporters and the competition. City said it would pursue the available appeal routes. In a statement, the club argued that the opinion contained material errors of law, principle and fact and was therefore unsafe.
The Premier League charged City in 2023 after investigating alleged breaches of its rules. An independent commission began hearing the case in September 2024 and concluded its proceedings three months later. The case follows City’s rise to dominance after its 2008 takeover by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the vice-president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.
The club has won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups and seven League Cups over the past 15 years, as well as its first Champions League title in 2023. The source material does not specify the possible penalties or the timetable for City’s appeal. The club continues to deny wrongdoing, while the Premier League says the commission’s findings establish the facts of the case.
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