Manchester City has been found guilty of 114 out of 115 financial charges brought by the Premier League, according to a leak on September 25. The news has sparked a mix of anxiety and defiance among fans and business owners around the Etihad Stadium.
Quiet streets around the Etihad
On a Friday afternoon during the international break, the streets around the Etihad Stadium were mostly deserted, apart from seagulls, a few tourists, and joggers. One woman walking past with her daughter remarked, "It's usually full of City fans around here. Where are they all? I think it's shame."
The charges relate to alleged financial breaches between 2009 and 2018. City has always denied wrongdoing, and the investigation has been ongoing since 2018. During this period, the club has enjoyed considerable success, winning the treble in 2023 and the Premier League for the fourth consecutive year in 2024.
Business owners voice concerns
Jonny Reed, manager of Mary D's Bar, a popular City pub near the ground, expressed his concerns for both the club and the local area. "It's been going on so long that we were hoping that it would get dismissed at some point," he said. "It's come to the forefront and we'll have to deal with it now. There's other avenues the owners of the club will look at and we have a chance to appeal which I definitely think we should."
He added, "We've got to fight it. If there's wrongdoing on our side then we look at that, but if we're within our rights with what we've done, why shouldn't we, as the football club that we are?" Reed also acknowledged the potential impact of sanctions, saying, "It is a worry. In this area the jobs that are created by the club, the infrastructure, the hotel, restaurants, bars, the Co-op Live next door. That's all linked to the club."
Fans remain defiant
Outside the City Chippy, 19-year-old fan Callum Ahmed was defiant. "I'm not too worried, I trust the club, I trust the owners that we've got," he said. "We've spent so much money on the new stand, we've spent money on Anderson, Enzo Fernandez. Would we really not tell them the current state of affairs before they join the club?"
Ahmed dismissed the idea that the verdict was part of the reason former manager Pep Guardiola left the club. "We're not guilty and I trust we will appeal it, it will go on for a couple of more years but we're not guilty," he said. He even suggested the news might give the club a boost, recalling the UEFA ban and successful appeal. "Everyone's against us, in my eyes, the Premier League want Arsenal, United, Liverpool and Chelsea to be the Big Four."
Sal Parekh, 52, who has served City fans at the Maine Road Chippy since before the club moved to the Etihad, described the verdict as 'inevitable'. "You knew they were going to be found guilty," he said. "It could be point deductions, bans on players. If you're a City fan you want very little to happen next, if you're an opposition fan then you want the book thrown at them."
Community impact and club statement
Kevin Lightfoot, walking past the Etihad after dropping his child off at the Academy, worried about the wider community. "I'm not a City fan, but it's worrying to think about what it could do to the area," he said. "There has been so much investment and regeneration around here. You worry about what sanctions could do to that and the knock-on effect on the academy."
In a statement to the Manchester Evening News, a City spokesperson said: "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 spokesperson added: "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."
