Man City 'found guilty of all but one' of 115 Premier League charges over financial rule breaches | OneFootball

Sanctions are yet to be decided, with City expected to appeal the verdict

Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the charges against them relating to alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations, according to reports.

A decision on potential sanctions has not yet been made, with City expected to appeal the decision.

Punishment could range from a fine to a significant points deduction. Expulsion from the league is also an option at the extreme end of the spectrum.

City have always denied the allegations, ever since they were first charged by the Premier League in February 2023.

Standard Sport has approached the Premier League for comment.

A spokesperson for City said in a statement: “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality.

"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 the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”

A hearing took place in 2024, in which lawyers from both sides put forward their case. There has been widespread frustration, including from rival clubs, at how long the process has dragged on for.

The verdict of the three-person panel comes more than three years after the initial charges.

The Premier League accused City of breaching financial rules and then failing to cooperate with the investigation into that.

Included in the 115 charges are alleged breaches of rules regarding the pay of players and former manager Roberto Mancini.

More than 50 are allegations of failing to provide accurate financial information between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, particularly to do with sponsorship income.

City were also charged with not sufficiently assisting the Premier League with its investigations between 2018 and 2023.

In the period of those alleged financial breaches, City won three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and three League Cups.

The allegations of failing to cooperate with the investigation extend through to 2023. At the end of that season, City won the Champions League for the first time.

There have also been legal battles on the European stage. In 2020, UEFA banned City for two years from European club competitions after ruling that City had committed "serious breaches" of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations between 2012 and 2016.

That decision by UEFA's club financial control body (CFCB) was overturned after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced the club had been cleared of "disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions".

With City cleared of the more serious "dishonest concealment" of sponsorship deals, CAS ruled that it was "not appropriate to impose a ban on participating in UEFA's club competitions" for the lesser charge of "obstructing the CFCB's investigations".

A fine imposed on City was also cut from €30million to €10m.

It remains to be seen how an appeals process for the independent commission's verdict on the Premier League's charges will play out, but it is evidently a seismic ruling.

When he took charge of City in the summer, Enzo Maresca, who was Pep Guardiola's assistant when City were charged in 2023, insisted he had no concerns about the situation.

"No, to be honest," Maresca said.

"The only thing I can say is that three years ago, the treble season, I was here. And there were the same words about this kind of problem.

"In three years, it's still the same, so nothing happened. I don't have anything to say because it's something that is there."