Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges regarding serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules during nine seasons, the league confirmed on Tuesday.
The charges related to the years between 2009-10 and 2017-18 and came after a four-year inquiry which had been launched prior to City receiving their official charge in February 2023.
City exploited “sham” commercial deals with a number of sponsors in order to mislead, according to an independent commission, which reduced the club’s revenue and considered its payments to players as part of the FFP calculations.
The Premier League said the arrangements inflated City’s reported revenue and deflated expenses by more than 900 million ($1.2 billion).
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters called it the “biggest in the history of the Premier League”, but said the ban is not a final one.
“The main court decision… Explains how the club systematically breached Premier League Rules over ten seasons,” Masters added.
City prepare appeal
Manchester City expressed their disbelief at the decision and said they would be appealing.
“The Club is not guilty of the allegations laid by the Premier League, and a wealth of definitive evidence supports all of the Club’s defenses,” City said.
The club stated that the commission had relied “on clear material errors, of law, principle and fact”.
That sanction must be confirmed by October 2, with the Premier League able to move to the next stage of the disciplinary process.
The consequences for the club, both sporting and financial, will be clarified by the final sanctions.
