Reports are widely emerging that Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one charge of more than 100 breaches of Premier League regulations, though no details of any sanctions have emerged. The expectation is the club will appeal. The club were charged in February 2023.
Timeline and background
The root of suspicion came from leaked documents published by German outlet Der Spiegel back in 2018. Emails purportedly sent between top City executives showed the club had inflated sponsorship revenue from Abu Dhabi state-controlled airline Etihad and telecoms firm Etisalat by disguising direct investment from Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group as income. Other documents claimed to show off-the-books payments to then manager Roberto Mancini via consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi.
City were referred to the commission in February 2023, at a time when they were en route to the third of four consecutive Premier League titles. The investigation which ultimately resulted in more than 100 charges being laid started back in 2018. City had been charged with failing to report accurate financial information for nine seasons stretching from 2009-10 to 2017-18, as well as failing to provide full details of former manager Roberto Mancini's pay between 2009-10 and 2012-13. They were also charged with failing to provide full details of remuneration in contracts with players between 2010-11 and 2015-16, and with failing to co-operate with the investigation over a period from 2018 to 2023.
Club response and possible sanctions
Via The Athletic's David Ornstein, Manchester City have 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 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."
If City are found guilty, sanctions are likely to include a severe points deduction and possibly even expulsion from the Premier League. Everton and Nottingham Forest were both hit by points deductions in the 2023/24 season for single breaches of profit and sustainability rules. The 134 breaches of competition rules took place between the seasons 2009-10 and 2022-23, during which they were English champions seven times, their 2023-24 title coming after that. Speculation will be wild over what the sanctions might be, and City's peer clubs are likely to have their own thoughts. Consider the compensation that Everton were ordered to pay Burnley this summer, for example.
Legal history and next steps
City were banned from the Champions League in February 2020, and that Uefa ban was overturned in the Court of Arbitration for Sport later in 2020. The club said at the time the charges were laid that they welcomed the opportunity for a commission "to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of our position". Four months after the charge was issued, the club won the Champions League for the first time in their history. The commission hearing began on September 16, 2024.
That an appeal by City has not been launched or heard means this long process, beginning with revelations from Der Spiegel in 2018, is not at an end. If this story has a whistleblower, it is Rui Pinto, aka "John", who obtained the leaked documents. City, in the Uefa case, said those documents came from "illegal hacking and out of context publication of City emails" as part of an "organised and clear attempt" to smear the club. City have always denied wrongdoing, they say is supported by a "comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence".
