Man City's appeal over 114 financial rule breaches set for mid-December hearing

Manchester City’s appeal against an independent commission’s ruling that they breached Premier League financial rules on 114 of 115 charges is scheduled to be heard in mid-December, according to the Financial Times, with any resulting sanctions not expected until 2027.

The original commission, which delivered its findings in September, found City guilty of breaching financial rules between 2009 and 2018 and of obstructing the Premier League’s investigation until 2023. Among the most serious findings, the commission ruled that City used “sham” sponsorship deals to disguise more than £830 million of owner Sheikh Mansour’s own money as legitimate revenue, and concealed nearly £17 million in off-the-books payments to staff and players.

City immediately rejected the findings as “unsafe” and formally lodged an appeal on 1 October. Under Premier League rules, a separate three-member Appeal Board is required to hear the case within 12 weeks of that date, placing the deadline in late December. The multi-day hearing is now reported to be pencilled in for mid-December.

Should the appeal fail, the club would then face a sanctions process — a separate stage that means any punishment would not be determined until sometime in 2027. The nature and severity of potential sanctions have not been confirmed, as that process would only begin once the appeal outcome is known.

The case represents one of the most significant disciplinary proceedings in English football history, both in the scale of the alleged rule-breaking and the potential consequences for the club.