FA says it will consider action against Manchester City after guilty verdict

The Football Association has confirmed it is studying the verdict against Manchester City and has not ruled out taking action of its own. The announcement comes after an independent commission found the club guilty of nearly all 115 Premier League charges, most of them linked to serious financial rule breaches between 2009 and 2018.

• The FA says it will take action where appropriate and will monitor the case closely.
• City were found guilty of using sham commercial contracts to inflate revenue and hide more than £900m in costs.
• The club maintains its innocence and CEO Ferran Soriano has called the process a Premier League conspiracy.
• The appeal must be filed by Friday 2 October, and the case could yet reach the High Court.
• Possible sanctions include a huge points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League.

What the FA has decided on the Manchester City case

The Football Association has issued a statement acknowledging the seriousness of the ruling and leaving the door open to its own intervention. The organisation stresses that the independent commission's decision carries major implications for the integrity of football and says it is reviewing the findings carefully.

The independent commission's decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game. We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.

The FA makes clear that, as long as the process between the Premier League and Manchester City remains open, it will not comment further, though it will continue to follow developments closely. That level of scrutiny around an already historic case marks a new chapter in the relationship between football's governing bodies and one of the most powerful clubs in the English game.

The financial charges covering 2009 to 2018

The independent commission found that Manchester City committed serious breaches of financial regulations over almost a decade. The ruling points to the creation of sham commercial contracts as part of schemes designed to boost revenue and hide costs totalling more than £900m across that period.

Those practices would have allowed the club to get around financial fair play limits and compete with an unfair advantage in the transfer and wage markets. The verdict is a huge reputational blow for the club's Abu Dhabi ownership, which has always defended the legality of its sponsorship agreements.

Manchester City's response: from conspiracy claims to appeal

Manchester City have been quick to react. The club rejects the verdict outright and insists it is innocent of the accusations. Chief executive Ferran Soriano went as far as describing the process as a Premier League conspiracy in a video message to club staff.

The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions relating to this case. The club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.

The club is already working on its appeal, for which it has until Friday 2 October to file. If the verdict is upheld, City could take the case to the High Court, opening up an even longer and more complex legal battle.

What sanctions Manchester City could face

A final sanction has not yet been decided, but the options on the table are extreme. Among the possibilities discussed are a massive points deduction that would completely shape the first team's season, or even direct expulsion from the Premier League.

There has also been talk of a change in ownership, with the possible exit of the Abu Dhabi owners. That scenario has triggered unexpected political debate in the UK: Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would be extremely concerned if the club were sold, crediting the current owners with being a huge partner in building modern Manchester.

His comments drew immediate criticism, and Downing Street later sought to clarify the remarks by insisting the verdict is a serious matter. The government's intervention shows just how public this case has become, moving from Premier League offices into the national political conversation.

What legal options Manchester City still have

The club has already said it will appeal the decision on the grounds that it contains clear material errors of law, principle and fact. It also believes the ruling is unsafe and that the Premier League process remains incomplete in several key areas.

The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted. Manchester City 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 insist they have diligently respected due process for eight years and trusted the Premier League board and executive to act as an independent and impartial regulator. That trust, according to the club, has been broken, and City are prepared to exhaust every legal avenue available to defend their position.

Frequently asked questions about the Manchester City verdict