The English Premier League (EPL) has confirmed that an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges concerning breaches of the league’s financial regulations.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the EPL said the Cityzens committed serious financial rule breaches spanning nine seasons, with most of the charges relating to the club’s alleged failure to cooperate with the league’s investigation.
“An independent Commission has found Manchester City FC guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation,” the statement reads in part.
TheCable had reported that Manchester City was found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges in the case, which became public in 2023, while sanctions were yet to be determined.
The EPL detailed the independent commission’s findings regarding City’s financial activities between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, including alleged arrangements involving sham contracts with commercial partners that increased the club’s reported revenue and lowered its costs.
The findings also included allegations that the club concealed its actual financial position, breached spending limits in England and Europe, and recorded a “failure to cooperate with the league’s investigations in good faith”.
According to the independent commission, Manchester City operated a disguised funding arrangement with commercial partners who paid only part of the value of announced sponsorship agreements, while most of the money came from Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), the club’s owners.
The EPL further said ADUG used a third party to acquire players’ image rights as part of arrangements intended to provide additional funds to City without full compliance with the league’s rules.
“The purpose of these schemes was found to have been to artificially inflate the club’s revenues, and reduce its costs, by more than £900 million during the affected period, to appear to comply with financial rules,” it wrote.
“The consequence of this, as the Commission found, was that the club filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from its auditors and football regulators. The Commission concluded that ‘by its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules’.”
Richard Masters, the EPL chief executive, said the guilty finding vindicated the league’s decision to pursue the case despite significant pressure.
He said the league would continue to hold clubs accountable and protect fair competition while awaiting the commission’s decision on the sanctions.
“This disciplinary case, and this decision, are the most significant in Premier League history. There are elements of the case that remain to be decided, including, importantly, what sanction must follow for these breaches,” he said.
“Now we have the Commission’s decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the League, our clubs and fans.”
Manchester City, which has indicated it will appeal the ruling, has until October 2 to exercise its right to appeal, as the EPL seeks to bring the matter to a conclusion “as soon as possible”.
Since Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, vice-president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, took over the club in 2008, Manchester City have become a major force in the Premier League.
The club have won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups and seven League Cups over the past 15 years, while also claiming their first Champions League title in 2023.