Man City appeal must 'leave no room for doubt' before verdict, says integrity chief

Sport Integrity Global Alliance chief executive Emanuel Macedo de Medeiros has called for patience over Manchester City’s ongoing Premier League financial rules appeal, insisting the outcome “cannot leave room for doubt” and that justice must be served without constraint.

An independent commission found City guilty on 29 September of breaching Premier League financial regulations across nine seasons, concluding the club deliberately manipulated revenues and costs by over £900m through what the panel described as “sham” arrangements designed to circumvent financial rules. City have since lodged an appeal, leaving the current Premier League season without a final verdict or clarity on potential sanctions.

“I understand the fans’ frustration, and I understand also the fans’ anguish, especially those who follow and support Manchester City,” Medeiros told the Press Association. “This is not a pleasant situation for anybody, but the law is the law, and it must be served on its own time, without constraints.”

Medeiros, speaking during Sport Integrity Action Month, acknowledged that slow-moving justice is not a sign of negligence. “Being a lawyer, I know that justice sometimes is served slowly. That is not because those who are in charge of the procedures are lazy, or they neglect their duties. It’s because there cannot be room for doubt. There cannot be room for failure.”

He framed the case as a defining moment not just for English football but for the continent as a whole. “This is also a test, not just for the Premier League and the credibility of the whole system — it is a test for the entirety of European football,” he said. “I’m pretty sure that the case will be finished sooner rather than later.”

The original commission found that City ran a “disguised funding scheme” in which Abu Dhabi firms paid only a fraction of the sums recorded, with Abu Dhabi United Group — Sheikh Mansour’s ownership vehicle — settling the balance. That arrangement inflated revenues by over £830m between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The panel also found City overstated image rights income by nearly £74m and understated staff costs, with the full findings spanning nine seasons of alleged rule-breaking.