Manchester City Found Guilty of Financial Rule Breaches

Manchester City has been found guilty of all charges concerning serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, which occurred over nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18. This conclusion was reached after a four-year inquiry, which preceded the official charges issued in February 2023.

An independent commission determined that the club exploited “sham” commercial deals with various sponsors to mislead, resulting in inflated reported revenue and deflated expenses exceeding 900 million ($1.2 billion). Premier League chief executive Richard Masters described this case as the “biggest in the history of the Premier League.” Although the club has been found guilty, the ban is not final, and the main court decision outlines how the club systematically breached Premier League rules over ten seasons.

Manchester City expressed disbelief at the ruling, asserting their innocence and stating they would appeal, claiming the commission relied on “clear material errors, of law, principle and fact.” The final sanctions are expected to be confirmed by October 2.