Manchester City found guilty of all financial rule breaches across nine Premier League seasons

Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules across a nine-season period from 2009/10 to 2017/18, the independent commission overseeing the case confirmed. The club now have until 2 October to formally lodge an appeal.

The commission ruled that City arranged what it described as ‘sham contracts’ with commercial partners in order to artificially inflate the club’s reported revenue during the period in question. The club were also found to have misstated accounts and concealed financial information from auditors, leaving them in significant breach of both Premier League and UEFA spending limits. A further finding established that City fell short in their co-operation with the investigation itself.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters described the ruling as the most significant disciplinary decision in the competition’s history. In a statement, Masters said the commission’s findings detail how City “systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade” and vindicate the league’s decision to pursue the case over what has been an eight-year process.

“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,” Masters said. “It is paramount that the League remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans.”

Masters added that the league is “committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process” now that the commission has delivered its core findings, noting that the question of what sanction should follow remains to be decided.

Manchester City have consistently maintained their innocence throughout the investigation and are expected to appeal the verdict before the 2 October deadline. The sanction phase of proceedings — which could range from a points deduction to expulsion from the league — will only begin once the appeals process has run its course, meaning a final resolution to the case remains some way off.