Manchester City have been found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules after an independent commission concluded its long-running investigation into the club.
The ruling covers nine seasons between 2009/10 and 2017/18, with the commission also upholding most of the allegations relating to City’s cooperation with the Premier League during the investigation.
According to the Premier League, the commission found that City used “sham” commercial agreements with some of its partners in arrangements that artificially increased the club’s reported revenues and reduced its costs.
The commission further concluded that the arrangements affected the club’s financial reporting by more than £900 million during the period under review.
It said the true nature of the club’s finances was concealed from its auditors and football regulators.
City were also found to have breached both the Premier League’s spending regulations and UEFA’s financial rules by a substantial margin after the relevant income and expenditure were assessed based on the actual agreements.
In addition, the commission found that the club breached its obligations to cooperate with the Premier League’s four-year investigation. Three of the four alleged breaches relating to cooperation and utmost good faith were upheld.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the decision established the facts surrounding the club’s conduct during the period covered by the case.
Masters said the findings showed that Manchester City had systematically breached Premier League rules for almost a decade, while stressing that the question of the appropriate punishment remained unresolved.
Manchester City, however, rejected the findings and maintained its innocence.
The club said it was “disappointed and surprised” by the commission’s decision and argued that the opinion contained significant errors of law, principle and fact.
City has confirmed that it will pursue an appeal against the findings. The club has until Friday, October 2, 2026, to formally exercise that right.
No sporting punishment has been imposed at this stage. The Premier League said the issue of sanctions will be considered separately by the independent commission after the charges are proved.
Possible sanctions under the league’s rules include financial penalties, points deductions and other sporting measures, but the Premier League has not announced which punishment, if any, City will receive.
The league said it intends to bring the remaining stages of the process, including any appeal and the publication of relevant decisions, to an end as soon as possible.
The case began with a Premier League investigation launched in December 2018, followed by a formal complaint against City in February 2023.
An independent commission subsequently held a 42-day hearing that concluded in December 2024 before delivering its findings.
The latest ruling therefore marks a major development in the long-running dispute, but the case remains subject to the appeal process and a separate decision on sanctions.