Man City Guilty of Financial Breaches Over Nine Seasons, Premier League Says
Manchester City have been found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules covering a nine-season period between 2009 and 2018, in a major development that could have significant implications for the club.
The Premier League said an independent commission found City guilty of using what it described as “sham” commercial contracts with several partners to artificially inflate the club’s revenues. The league said the arrangements concealed the true state of City’s finances and helped the club avoid breaching Premier League and UEFA spending limits.
The commission also found Manchester City guilty on the majority of charges relating to the club’s alleged failure to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation.
Premier League says findings establish what happened
Premier League chairman Richard Masters said the commission’s decision established the facts surrounding Manchester City’s financial conduct during the period under investigation.
The Premier League said no sanction has yet been imposed. City have confirmed that they intend to appeal the commission’s decision.
The club said the ruling contains what it considers to be “clear material errors” of law, principle and fact, describing the decision as unsafe.
Nine seasons under scrutiny
The case dates back to an investigation that led to Manchester City being charged by the Premier League in 2023.
The allegations covered the period from 2009-10 through 2017-18 and included claims relating to the accuracy of financial information provided to the league, sponsorship revenue and operating costs. The Premier League formally referred the alleged breaches to an independent commission in February 2023.
The independent hearing began in September 2024 and concluded after several months.
The latest decision now moves the long-running case into its next stage, with the appeal process expected to determine how the findings develop before any final sporting or financial consequences are known.
City’s rise to Premier League dominance
Manchester City’s financial case has attracted particular attention because of the club’s transformation since its 2008 takeover by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
During the period that followed, City developed into one of the most successful clubs in English football.
The club has won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups and seven League Cups over the past 15 years, while also claiming its first UEFA Champions League title in 2023.
That success has made the financial regulations case particularly significant for the wider Premier League, as the investigation concerns rules designed to ensure clubs operate within agreed financial limits.
For now, there is no confirmed punishment for Manchester City.
The Premier League has said it wants to move quickly through the remaining stages of the process, while City are preparing to challenge the commission’s findings through the available appeal process.
Potential consequences have been widely discussed in connection with the case, but the Premier League has not yet announced a sanction arising from this decision.
The immediate focus will therefore be on Manchester City’s appeal and the eventual determination of any penalty.
The case could have wider implications for how financial regulations are enforced across English football, particularly as the Premier League continues to strengthen its financial-control framework. The league introduced a new financial system for the 2026/27 season, replacing the previous Profitability and Sustainability Rules with the Squad Cost Ratio and Sustainability and Systemic Resilience rules.
For Manchester City, however, the next major chapter is now the appeal — with the club continuing to deny wrongdoing and insisting that the commission’s findings contain significant errors.
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