Manchester City Found Guilty of Serious Financial Rule Breaches by Premier League
Manchester City have been found guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules after an independent commission delivered its long-awaited decision in the case involving the club.
The Premier League confirmed on September 29, 2026, that the commission upheld all charges relating to serious financial-rule breaches covering the nine-season period from 2009/10 to 2017/18.
The commission also found Manchester City guilty of three of the four charges relating to the club’s failure to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation.
The case is one of the most significant disciplinary matters in Premier League history and follows a lengthy investigation into Manchester City’s financial affairs.
According to the Premier League, the commission found that Manchester City used a number of commercial arrangements that misrepresented the true agreements between the club and some of its commercial partners.
The ruling found that these arrangements artificially increased the club’s reported revenues while reducing its reported costs.
The commission also found that Manchester City submitted misstated accounts and did not accurately reflect the club’s financial position to auditors and football regulators.
The Premier League said the findings meant the club was significantly in breach of both its own spending regulations and UEFA financial rules during the period under investigation.
Reuters reported that the commission concluded that the arrangements inflated revenues and understated costs by more than £900 million over the period examined.
Despite the commission's findings, Manchester City has strongly disputed the decision.
The club has maintained that it is innocent of the allegations and has indicated that it intends to use the available appeal process.
That means Tuesday's ruling does not necessarily mark the final conclusion of the dispute.
The next major issue is the sanction Manchester City could face.
The punishment has not yet been announced, with sanctions expected to be considered separately. Potential penalties under Premier League rules can include financial sanctions and sporting consequences, depending on the circumstances of the case.
Manchester City is also expected to challenge the findings through the appeal process.
For now, the independent commission's decision establishes that the charges were upheld at first instance, but the final consequences for the club will depend on the upcoming sanction and appeal stages.
The verdict brings a major chapter of the Premier League's long-running investigation into Manchester City into sharper focus, but the legal and sporting battle is not over yet.