Independent commission finds Manchester City guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules
The commission upheld charges covering 2009-10 to 2017-18, City deny wrongdoing and say they will appeal, and any sanction will be decided at a separate hearing.
An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The Premier League announced the finding on Tuesday 29 September 2026. News of the verdict had emerged the previous Friday.
The case involved more than 100 alleged breaches. The league published a redacted, 40-page version of the commission's core decision.
The commission found that City arranged "sham" deals with a number of sponsors as part of a "disguised funding scheme". Sponsors paid only part of the recorded fees. The club's owner, Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), funded the rest. Recorded sponsorship income totalled £949.94m. Sponsors paid only £119.25m of that as base fees.
According to the Premier League statement, the schemes aimed to inflate revenues and cut costs "by more than £900m" so the club would appear to comply with financial rules. The commission found that City filed misstated accounts and hid its true finances from auditors and regulators. It also found that the club "made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate" the investigation. It found that several important club witnesses gave false evidence, some knowingly and dishonestly. It called an image-rights arrangement with an entity called Fordham "little more than a front".
According to BBC Sport, the scheme let the club avoid recording what would have been the largest single-season loss in Premier League history, in 2009-10.
Any sanction will be decided at a separate hearing. Under league rules, possible sanctions range from fines and points deductions to expulsion. City have until Friday 2 October to lodge an appeal.
What is disputed
ESPN reports that City were found guilty "on all of the 100-plus charges". However, the league statement quoted by ESPN, along with BBC Sport and the Guardian, say City were found guilty of the majority of the non-cooperation charges, or all but one. Reported figures also differ. Concealed costs are given as about £90m (BBC Sport), £70m (the Guardian) or around £66m (a Guardian column). Overstated income is given as about £830m or around £855m.
What each side says
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the decision "details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade".
In a statement, City said: "The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League." The club said the opinion "contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe". Chief executive Ferran Soriano, in a video message to staff, called the case a "Premier League conspiracy theory".
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told the BBC: "It's incredibly serious, the Premier League report is incredibly stark." Former City chairman David Bernstein said, according to BBC Sport: "It is damning beyond belief."
Analysis
The ruling moves the case from allegation to formal finding, but it is not the final word. The size of any sanction is still open. Possible outcomes range from fines to points deductions or expulsion, and the club's appeal could change the result. The Guardian reports that the appeal is expected to run alongside the sanctions hearing. BBC Sport reports that league rules require the sanction hearing to stay private, so the public may learn little until decisions are issued. On titles won in the affected seasons, a BBC Sport headline says there is no Premier League appetite to strip City of them, but that the threat remains. Wider questions about financial regulation in football are likely to be debated whatever the outcome.
Traceability
Sources (11): Al Jazeera · Anadolu Agency · BBC Sport · BBC Sport · BBC Sport · BBC Sport · BBC Sport · The Guardian (Sport) · The Guardian (Sport) · ESPN · ESPN
Independent origins: 5 · Perspectives covered: middle-east, state-turkey, west-commercial, west-left, west-public
Confirmed: 20 · Reported: 16 · Disputed: 4 · Confidence: high
Review: 3 AI reviewers (Claude, GPT-5.6 Sol, Kimi) · 35/35 claims backed by 2+ reviewers with verified evidence · 0 errors · approved
Drafted: 2026-09-29 22:02 UTC
Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.
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