Manchester City have been found guilty of 115 charges in relation to breaches of Premier League financial rules.
The broaches covers the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons and include charges brought about due to refusal to co-operate with the Premier League’s investigation between December 2018 to 2023.
City faced an independent commission inquiry which concluded in December 2024 and following 21 months of considerations, they were found to have committed the following offences:
- Man City arranged ‘sham’ contracts with various number of commercial partners, whilst relying on ‘sham’ agreements with other parties in order to ‘artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs’
- City filed inaccurate accounts and hid the true reality of their finances from auditors and football regulators.
- City were found to have been in significant breach of spending limits across Premier League and UEFA competitions
- During the investigation, City committed multiple breaches in regard to co-operation and good faith to the league – of which three of the four breaches were upheld.
The commission added that City’s ‘sham’ commercial deals were related to ‘a disguised funding scheme, whereby those companies were only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.’
Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG) funded the remainder of the finances, whilst they engaged in further fake arrangements to record lower operating expenses than actually incurred, whilst they engaged in a circular deal with Fordham concerning players’ image rights.
These schemes were ultimately found to create artificial inflation of revenues and reduce costs by more than £900m in order to look like they met the financial rules, hence inaccurate accounts and concealment of the true state of the club’s financial situation.
City also failed to provide accurate reports to the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules, plus UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Rules, of which the club would of been in serious breach by ‘a very substantial amount’ if had reported accurately in the first place.
The league found that during the investigation, City committed various breaches of co-operation duties and failed to act in ‘utmost good faith towards the League.’
Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Masters in response to the verdicts feels that City’s behaviour broke the rules for almost a decade and proved the league’s decision to pursue the case over the last eight years.
“The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade.
“It also vindicates the Premier League’s decision to pursue this case against Manchester City. While the process to date has been both long and difficult, the League has remained determined that the facts be established independently.
“It is a key responsibility of the Premier League to ensure that the Rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition. It is paramount that the League remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously.
“This disciplinary case, and this decision, are the most significant in Premier League history. There are elements of the case that remain to be decided, including, importantly, what sanction must follow for these breaches. 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.”
City will discover their sanction in due course at a further hearing with the independent commission which will be conducted in private and maintained until official publication to media and public.
City also will have a right to appeal against the verdicts but only until Friday 2 October to confirm that option.
“disappointed and surprised”
Man City released their own statement expressing a feeling of being “disappointed and surprised” at the Premier League’s view on the matter and pledged to appeal the guilty verdicts in belief that there are “innocent” of all charges”
“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 will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.
“The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted. 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 diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.
“The Club is obviously restricted in what it can say further until all future proceedings are complete.”
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