Key facts
- Manchester City has been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules.
- The breaches occurred over a nine-year period.
- The club allegedly inflated income by over £900 million through "sham contracts" and inaccurate financial filings.
- An independent commission found some City witnesses gave false evidence.
- The club has stated it will appeal the decision.
- Potential sanctions include points deductions, fines, or expulsion from the league.
Manchester City has been found guilty by an independent commission of systematically breaching the English Premier League's financial rules over a nine-year period, the Premier League confirmed on Sunday, October 11, 2026. The club is accused of artificially inflating its income by more than £900 million through "sham contracts" with commercial partners and by filing inaccurate accounts to hide the true state of their finances.
The commission found that these actions would have led to significant breaches of Premier League and Uefa spending limits. The club was also found guilty of "sham" image rights deals with players and former manager Roberto Mancini. Furthermore, the commission concluded that the club had made concerted efforts to frustrate the investigation and that evidence given by some witnesses was false.
Manchester City has announced its intention to appeal the decision by Friday's deadline, citing "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact." Chief executive Ferran Soriano described the ruling as based on a "Premier League conspiracy theory." The Premier League's chief executive, Richard Masters, called the case "the most significant in Premier League history" and indicated that unprecedented punishments are likely, potentially including a points deduction that could lead to relegation, drawing a comparison to Everton's 10-point penalty for breaching profitability and sustainability rules.