Manchester City have confirmed they have lodged an appeal against the independent commission's verdict that found them guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules. The club announced the decision in a statement on Friday morning, ahead of the Friday, October 2 deadline to appeal.
Club statement confirms appeal lodged
The statement read: 'Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1st October 2026 the Club lodged its comprehensive Appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter.'
The club said its 'firm position' is that 'on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe'.
It added: 'The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case. We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete.'
Background to the case
The independent commission found City guilty of all but one of the 115 charges against them. The commission said City had arranged 'sham' sponsorship deals, filed misstated accounts and breached spending limits to 'artificially inflate the club's revenues, and reduce its costs, by more than £900 million' from 2009 to 2018.
The eight-time Premier League champions have always maintained their innocence. The case dates back to November 2018, when German newspaper Der Spiegel published claims that City had breached Financial Fair Play rules.
In February 2023, the Premier League charged the club with 115 breaches of its financial rules. A 10-week hearing between the Premier League and Manchester City began in September 2024, and reports emerged in September 2026 that City had been found guilty on all but one of the charges.
