Manchester City have been found to have inflated sponsorship agreements to the tune of £830million, according to the Premier League's official verdict in the long-running case. The Premier League's statement used the word "sham" multiple times, and the commission deemed evidence given by several witnesses on behalf of the club was "false in a number of key respects" and some "had given evidence at the hearing that they knew to be untrue and so had been dishonest".
City's response and appeal plans
City responded with their own statement, with the club set to appeal "on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe". The saga is set to continue, with the whole Premier League campaign potentially taking place under a cloud given the implications and sanctions City face remain unclear.
City have until Friday to confirm an appeal against the verdict, which is a given. That process would then get under way, possibly in the next few weeks but more likely in the next couple of months. Premier League rules indicate that the appeal should not exceed five days, and be concluded within three months of the appeal being filed, which potentially pushes a conclusion into 2027.
Sanctions and potential punishments
In the meantime, a sanctions hearing could take place before the appeal, where the Premier League and City would get the chance to set out the potential punishments. The timescale is not clear on whether the appeal will conclude before the sanction hearing begins, given the outcome of the appeal could impact the severity of any punishment against City. The Premier League will want to wrap the case up swiftly to ensure it does not further cloud this season and run into the next campaign.
The outcome of any appeal would then influence the sanctions against City, depending on how many charges they are found guilty of and the severity of those charges, which range in levels of seriousness and are broadly in five different categories. Should the current verdict stick, an extreme punishment would be expected, with a huge fine, points deductions, transfer bans and even being kicked out of the Premier League all on the table.
Further legal battles ahead
All that will not be ratified until at least after an appeal, and even then, City can and most likely will appeal against the sanctions verdict, lengthening the process further. It is feasible the club could then take the case to the High Court, although that remains an unlikely avenue for success.
Once the prospective appeals have been heard and the punishment set, the sporting sanctions will be clear, but a fresh wave of legal action by other clubs seems likely, starting another complex process that will take more time and money and likely extend into the second half of next year and possibly into 2028. City have made no secret of their desire to continue the fight despite the evidence presented in Tuesday's Premier League verdict, and while that remains the case, this battle continues to rumble on.
