Manchester City Found Guilty of Financial Rule Breaches Over Nine Seasons

By Adedapo Adesanya

Manchester City have been found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, following an investigation by an independent commission.

The Premier League said the commission found the club guilty of all charges relating to alleged breaches between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, as well as the majority of charges concerning the club’s failure to cooperate with the investigation.

According to the league, the commission found that City used arrangements that “artificially inflate the club’s revenues, and reduce its costs” by more than £900 million during the period under review.

The commission found that the club had arranged “sham” contracts with several commercial partners, submitted misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from auditors and football regulators.

The Premier League said the commission also determined that, had Manchester City accurately reported the relevant information, the club would have breached Premier League and UEFA spending limits “by a very large amount”.

Business Post reports that no sanction has yet been imposed.

The Premier League said the penalty would be considered at a separate hearing before the independent commission.

Premier League chief executive, Mr Richard Masters, said the decision established the facts surrounding Manchester City’s conduct during the period and supported the league’s decision to pursue the case.

The club, however, rejected the findings and said it would appeal, arguing that the commission’s decision contained “clear material errors of law, principle and fact”.

The club said it remained “innocent of the accusations” and would continue to pursue all appropriate regulatory and legal avenues.

The case, which began with the Premier League’s charges in 2023, could therefore continue through the appeals process before any final sporting or financial sanctions are determined.

Last week, it was reported that the club had been found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges.