Premier League Confirms Manchester City Guilty Of Serious Financial Rule Breaches
Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules over nine seasons, in what league chief Richard Masters has called the most significant case in Premier League history.
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Manchester City have been found guilty on all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules spanning nine seasons, along with three of four charges over failing to co-operate with the investigation, the league announced on Tuesday.
The club was charged in February 2023 following a four-year investigation into alleged breaches between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons.
The club, which denies any wrongdoing, said in a statement that it will appeal “on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.”
An independent commission found that City had arranged “sham” contracts that misrepresented the true terms of deals with several commercial partners, and used similar agreements with others to artificially inflate revenue and reduce costs, the league said.
It found that several sponsors were only required to pay a portion of the fees listed in the relevant agreements, with the remainder provided by the club's owners, Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG).
The commission also uncovered arrangements funded by ADUG that enabled City to report lower operating expenses.
The schemes inflated City’s revenue and reduced its costs by more than £900 million ($1.2 billion), creating the false impression that the club was complying with financial regulations, the league said.
The commission concluded that City would have breached both the Premier League’s and UEFA’s spending limits “by a very substantial amount” had the agreements been accurately reported.
“The core decision... details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade,” said Richard Masters, the chief executive of the Premier League.
Masters described the case and the decision as “the most significant in Premier League history” but said key elements remain unresolved, most notably the sanction to be imposed.
“Now we have the Commission’s decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the League, our clubs and fans,” he said.
City Vow To Fight Ruling
City said they were disappointed and surprised by the commission's opinion.
“The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case,” the club said.
“Manchester City FC will now 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.”
The club has until October 2 to lodge an appeal.
Club statement.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 29, 2026
🔗 https://t.co/yrJ8Z0A52Y pic.twitter.com/0NP2k33JT9
The announcement came near the end of the European Football Clubs general assembly in Copenhagen, leaving representatives of English clubs checking their phones during the closing minutes.
Representatives of Arsenal and Nottingham Forest declined to comment when approached.
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