Man City found guilty of most financial rule breaches

Dustin Judge
Man City Pep Guardiola

An independent commission found Man City guilty of charges related to serious financial rule breaches and the majority of charges tied to failing to cooperate with the league. The verdict was confirmed Tuesday.

The Premier League referred City to an independent commission in February 2023, alleging more than 100 breaches of financial rules during a nine-season period, according to the timeline of the case. An independent commission hearing into the charges began Sept. 16.

Man City Case: What the commission found

The three-judge panel determined that Manchester City arranged “sham” commercial deals with several sponsors as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding worth more than £900 million, according to the BBC’s live coverage of the verdict. Sponsors were required to pay only a portion of their stated fees, with the remainder secretly funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, the club’s ownership group. The commission also found City used further sham arrangements funded by ADUG to record lower operating expenses than it actually incurred, and identified a “sham” circular deal with image-rights purchaser Fordham that was likewise funded by ADUG.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the decision “establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period” and “details how the club systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade,” according to the BBC. Masters said the ruling “vindicates the Premier League’s decision to pursue this case against Manchester City.”

City’s response

Manchester City said the club is “both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission,” according to the BBC. City said it will “pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.”

What’s next

Manchester City has until Oct. 2 to submit an appeal, according to the BBC. No sanctions have been announced; the punishment phase of the case follows the guilty finding, and the club’s appeal will determine whether the commission’s findings and any penalties stand.

Reporting from BBC Sport and Newsday contributed to this story.

Dustin Judge is the Founder and CEO of Total Apex Media, bringing more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience to the company's growing network of digital publications. He specializes in sports, sports betting, fantasy sports, and digital publishing, with a focus on producing accurate, timely, and engaging content for readers. Dustin oversees editorial strategy, content development, and publishing operations across Total Apex Media while remaining actively involved in sports, betting, and fantasy sports coverage.