Manchester City found guilty of majority of Premier League financial breaches charges, according to reports

By Thomas Schlachter, Patrick Sung Cuadrado, Aleks Klosok, CNN

(CNN) — Manchester City has been found guilty of all but one of the many charges it faced in regards to breaching Premier League financial rules, according to multiple reports and first reported by David Ornstein at The Athletic.

According to reports, City has been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges it faced in an independent panel. No sanctions have been decided and the Manchester-based club, which has consistently denied any wrongdoing, is expected to appeal the decision, according to reports.

Possible sanctions against the club could be a points deduction, an unlimited fine, or even expulsion from the league entirely, according to the Premier League’s handbook.

Manchester City issued a statement in response to the news to CNN Sports on Friday.

“The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality,” City said. “As such Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the Club’s statement of February 2023.

“The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”

A source within the Premier League told CNN Sports it could not comment on the reports.

On Saturday, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak issued a further statement in the form of an open letter expressing his confidence that his club would ultimately be vindicated.

“There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position,” Al Mubarak writes. “But the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it means I cannot do that at the moment. Even this letter underwent several legal checks to make sure it complies.”

Al Mubarak went on to say: “While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed. We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our Club. We will not give them that opportunity.”

An outcome years in the making

While Premier League action has continued as normal on the pitch, the hearing and its potential findings have been bubbling away under the surface since the charges were announced in 2023.

The club was charged in February of that year after a four-year investigation, with the Premier League alleging that Manchester City failed to provide accurate financial information between the 2009-10 season and the 2017-18 season.

The league also accused City of failing to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) regulations between 2013-14 and 2017-18 and failing to follow Premier League rules on profit and sustainability between 2015-16 and 2017-18.

Manchester City won a total of eight trophies in the period covered by the case. This included three Premier League titles, three League Cups and one FA Cup.

The 2010-11 FA Cup was City’s first major trophy in 35 years – their previous title coming in 1976.

The 2011-12 Premier League title was the first of eight they have won to date.

The hearing eventually started in September 2024 and carried on until the end of that year.

At the time, former City manager Pep Guardiola said he was looking forward to having the matter settled.

“I am happy that it starts on Monday,” Guardiola said in a press conference. “I know there will be more rumors and new specialists about the sentences will come up. We are going to see. I know what people are looking for, I know what they are expecting.”

Guardiola continued: “Everybody is innocent until guilt is proven. An independent panel will decide, and I’m looking forward to the decision.”

Ahead of the Spanish national team’s Nations League match against England this weekend, midfielder Rodri, who played for City from 2019 until this offseason, said he believed the club was innocent.

“They always expressed the confidence that they never did something wrong, and we believe in that,” Rodri said on Friday.

“Until the moment they are proved wrong, we believe in the club. I’ve been there, I know how they work, and how they cooperate.”

The 30-year-old added that no sanctions that might be handed down would be able to diminish the club’s success.

“It is something that is not paid by money, it is paid with effort, with partnership and with being shoulder to shoulder every day,” Rodri added.

“We had a lot of success over the years, and here in Wembley, so I can tell you everything was deserved and I’m glad I could live one of the best eras of English football.”

This was also not the first time that Manchester City had faced allegations over financial misconduct.

In 2020, the club was initially banned from European soccer for two seasons for “serious breaches” of FFP regulations. The ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which also reduced the accompanying $34 million fine to $11.3 million, ruling that City had failed to cooperate with UEFA.

Jacob Lev and Kevin Dotson contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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