Manchester City found guilty on 114 of 115 charges in Premier League's landmark financial case

Manchester City have been found guilty on 114 of 115 charges of financial misconduct brought by the Premier League, covering a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. The independent commission’s verdict marks the conclusion of the longest-running disciplinary process in English football history, though the full written report has not yet been published and the Premier League has declined to comment publicly.

A club spokesperson confirmed that “significant elements” of the process remain to be completed and that proceedings are subject to strict confidentiality. The statement added that City had “diligently respected due process for eight years” on the basis that the Premier League would act as an independent and impartial regulator. The club has consistently denied all wrongdoing and is understood to be preparing an appeal once the verdict is formally confirmed.

Former City advisor Stefan Borson, speaking publicly after the news broke, offered a bleak assessment of the club’s position. “Anything is possible and all hell is now going to break loose, as this is going to go on for weeks, and weeks, and weeks,” he said. “It is going to be very hard for City to say anything or to contain the fallout from this scenario.”

On the question of sanctions, Borson noted that the combined cost of the proceedings to both parties may already exceed £100 million, and warned that the published decision would be damaging in its detail. “Man City have denied everything all the way through, they have gone through a process that may have cost more than £100m between the two parties and they have been found to have breached everything. They are in very, very serious trouble.”

The prospects of a successful appeal on the facts were described by Borson as slim. “An appeal on the facts is highly unlikely to succeed,” he said. “The decision itself will be scathing in terms of the club’s conduct, the conduct of individuals, the behaviour of individuals and the hearing itself in terms of their credibility. There won’t be any hiding place when that decision is published.”

City’s statement hinted that the club may challenge the integrity of the process itself rather than the factual findings, a route that legal observers consider narrow but not entirely closed. The sanction hearing, which will determine whether the club faces a points deduction, fine, or other punishment, is expected to take place behind closed doors. No date for that stage has been confirmed.