Manchester City found guilty of 114 of 115 Premier League financial charges: Reports
Manchester City's 114-charge verdict lands, punishment still pending.
Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 of the 115 financial-rule charges brought against them by the Premier League, according to multiple reports, including The Athletic and CNN.
The verdict was delivered by an independent commission after a lengthy hearing into alleged financial breaches by the English club. No sanction has yet been decided, and City are expected to appeal the verdict.
The possible sanctions include a fine, points deduction or expulsion from the Premier League, according to the league's rules.
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The charges were brought in February 2023 following a four-year Premier League investigation. City have consistently denied any wrongdoing.
The allegations covered several areas, including failing to provide accurate financial information, breaches of UEFA's financial fair play regulations and the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules, as well as failing to cooperate with the league's investigation.
The independent commission's hearing began in September 2024 and continued until December that year. The process had remained unresolved for almost two years after the hearing, with Premier League chief executive Richard Masters acknowledging in August that the case had taken longer than expected.
What are the charges?
The Premier League initially brought 115 charges against City.
Among them, 54 allegations concerned the club's failure to provide accurate financial information over the period from the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons.
Other allegations related to disclosures concerning player and manager payments, compliance with UEFA's financial fair play regulations and the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules.
The league also accused City of failing to cooperate with its investigation between 2018 and 2023.
City have denied all the allegations and contested the case before the independent commission.
What happens next?
The sanctions against the club have not yet been determined. Reports say all possible penalties remain under consideration, while City are expected to challenge the commission's findings.
The Premier League's rules allow for a range of sanctions, from fines to points deductions and, in the most serious circumstances, expulsion from the competition.
The latest development therefore does not itself determine whether City will lose points, titles or their place in the Premier League.
How the case began
The Premier League's investigation followed the publication of leaked Manchester City financial documents by German magazine Der Spiegel in November 2018.
UEFA had previously taken action against City over alleged financial fair play breaches. In February 2020, UEFA imposed a two-year ban from European competitions and a €30 million fine. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the ban five months later, ruling that some of the alleged offences were either not established or time-barred.
The Premier League case is separate from that UEFA proceeding and was referred to an independent commission in 2023.
Manchester City, who were acquired by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008, have since won multiple Premier League titles and other major trophies while the case was pending.
