Noel Gallagher urges Premier League to spare City fans after guilty verdict on 114 charges

Manchester City have been found guilty on 114 of 115 charges of breaching Premier League financial rules, according to reports from Friday, with the club confirming it intends to appeal the landmark verdict.

The independent commission had been deliberating for two years on charges relating to the period between 2009 and 2018 — charges City have consistently and vehemently denied throughout the process. The Premier League has yet to officially confirm the outcome, but City issued a statement shortly after details of the verdict emerged, reiterating its position that the league’s board and executive should act as “an independent, impartial and fair minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”

Depending on the outcome of the appeal, City face a wide range of potential sanctions — from fines and bans to points deductions and, in the most severe scenario, expulsion from the top flight. The eight-time title winners could also be stripped of league titles won during the years covered by the charges.

Noel Gallagher, one of the club’s most prominent supporters, responded to the news on the Let Me Talk podcast, expressing surprise and sadness while calling for fans and players to be shielded from any punishment.

“A little surprised because only that the club has assured us all along that they would vehemently deny any of these charges,” Gallagher said. “So it was a bit of a shock to find out we’ve been found guilty of all but one but really overall quite sad really, sad for the fans and for the players.”

Gallagher was particularly emphatic that supporters bore no responsibility for what had happened off the pitch. “Our focus as fans is always on the pitch and we know what we saw: they won it on the pitch. Whatever goes on in the boardroom it’s nothing to do with the supporters or the players.”

Asked whether the verdict tainted City’s success during that era — including the dramatic 2011-12 title won on goal difference on the final day — Gallagher acknowledged the wider perception while standing by his own experience. “Does it taint it? I suppose in the eyes of everybody else in England it would but I know what I saw and I know what I felt.”

His brother Liam, equally vocal on social media, struck a more defiant tone, insisting City would win the appeal. The Gallagher brothers are both set to perform at the Etihad Stadium as part of an Oasis reunion tour in 2027.