Premier League set to avoid £4.5bn broadcaster refunds after Man City guilty verdict

The Premier League is set to escape demands for £4.5 billion in broadcaster refunds following Manchester City’s landmark guilty verdict, with reports describing any such claims as “highly unlikely.”

An independent commission this week found City guilty of 114 of their 115 charges relating to serious financial rule breaches across a nine-season period beginning in 2009/10. The club was found to have concealed the true state of its finances from auditors and football regulators, significantly breached Premier League and UEFA spending rules, and arranged what were described as “sham contracts” to artificially inflate its reported financial position.

The concern centred on a domestic TV rights deal struck in 2018, worth £4.5 billion, which fell within the final year of the period under investigation. Broadcasters paid to show what was marketed as one of the most lucrative eras in Premier League history, prompting speculation that they could seek compensation on the grounds of compromised competition integrity.

However, the Daily Mail has dismissed those suggestions, reporting that refund demands are considered highly unlikely. It was also noted that subscription figures could theoretically decline depending on the severity of City’s eventual punishment, though that outcome was similarly described as unlikely.

City responded to the verdict with a defiant statement, insisting the club is “innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League” and that “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions.”

“The club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums,” the statement read. “Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.”

City added that they had “diligently respected due process for eight years” and described the commission’s findings as both “disappointing and surprising.” The Premier League process is described as ongoing, with significant elements still to be completed before any sanction is formally determined.