Manchester City found guilty on all Premier League charges over financial rule breaches

Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules across a nine-season period, the competition has announced. The independent commission concluded that the club used sham contracts to inflate revenue and reduce costs by more than £900m, covering the campaigns from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The club, which denies any wrongdoing, has already confirmed it will appeal the decision before the Friday deadline.

• The independent commission found that City inflated revenue and cut costs by more than £900m.
• The club was found guilty of all serious charges for breaching financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
• City were also found guilty of failing to cooperate with the investigation, which began in December 2018.
• Manchester City have denied the accusations and announced they will appeal the ruling before Friday.
• Possible sanctions include stripping titles, financial penalties and points deductions.

Sham contracts used to inflate revenue by more than £900m

The core of the case centres on the creation of commercial deals with sponsors that, according to the commission, were part of a scheme designed to disguise where the funding was really coming from. The companies involved only paid a portion of the stipulated fees, with the remainder funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment + Development Ltd, the investment vehicle that owned the club at the time. The commission concluded that these mechanisms allowed City to artificially inflate their revenue and reduce costs by more than £900m over nearly a decade.

Manchester City's response: innocence and immediate appeal

Manchester City issued an official statement saying they were disappointed and surprised by the Premier League commission's opinion, insisting on their innocence and on the existence of a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence supporting their position. The club said it will be relentless and proactive in all appropriate regulatory and legal forums to defend its stance. The club has already confirmed its intention to appeal the verdict before the Friday deadline.

The commission said City clearly intended to circumvent the Premier League rules.

Failure to cooperate and obstruction of the investigation since 2018

In addition to the financial charges, the independent commission determined that the club was guilty of failing to cooperate with the investigation, which began in December 2018. According to the ruling, the club tried to stop and frustrate the work of investigators over the years. The attempts at obstruction add to the seriousness of the financial breaches and were considered an aggravating factor in the case.

Possible sanctions for Manchester City: titles, points or relegation

Following the decision, a new scenario opens in which the commission must determine the final sanction in a further hearing. Among the options being considered are the stripping of Premier League titles, financial penalties and points deductions. The final decision could have huge consequences for the recent history of English football, as City won several championships during the period in question.

The Premier League calls the case the most significant in its history

The Premier League's chief executive, Richard Masters, described the case and the decision as the most significant in the history of the competition. Masters said the core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during that period and details how the club systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade. He also stressed that the decision vindicates the Premier League's work in pursuing this case.

The executive added that the league has a responsibility to ensure that the rules approved by the clubs themselves are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition. For Masters, the remaining elements, including the final sanction, must be resolved swiftly to provide certainty for the league, the clubs and the fans.