Manchester City Found Guilty of 114 of 115 Premier League Financial Breaches

An independent disciplinary commission has found Manchester City guilty of 114 of 115 Premier League financial rule breaches following a four-year investigation. The verdict, announced on September 25, 2026, concludes that the club systematically broke financial regulations between 2009 and 2018 through what the panel described as "sham" commercial contracts designed to disguise secret funding of over £830 million from its Abu Dhabi owner.

The commission determined that Manchester City arranged contracts with commercial partners priced well above fair market value, with the bulk of payments covered by the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), the club's ultimate owner. This "disguised funding scheme" artificially inflated the club's recorded revenue by approximately £900 million, enabling City to circumvent Premier League and UEFA financial fair play regulations. The panel found that some witnesses called by City gave evidence "they knew to be untrue," describing their testimony as dishonest. Manchester City has denied all charges and announced plans to appeal by the October 2 deadline.

The case stems from internal emails and documents published by German magazine Der Spiegel starting in 2018, based on information from Football Leaks whistleblower Rui Pinto. The Premier League formally charged City in February 2023 with over 100 breaches, including providing misleading financial information for nine seasons and failing to cooperate with investigators from 2018 to 2023. An independent hearing began in September 2024 and concluded in December 2024, with the verdict delivered via confidential channels to club executives before being reported by media outlets on September 25, 2026.

Sanctions have not yet been determined and will be addressed in a separate hearing. Potential penalties include substantial fines, points deductions, transfer embargoes, or expulsion from the Premier League—a punishment never previously applied to a Premier League club. The Independent Football Regulator, established by the UK government, has signaled it may assess the suitability of club owners and executives. Premier League rivals have begun seeking legal advice on potential compensation claims, citing parallels to Everton's £35 million compensation to Burnley for profit and sustainability breaches. Manchester City's principal sponsor, Etihad Airways, has indicated it is considering legal action against the Premier League, stating it was not given an opportunity to respond to allegations despite not being explicitly named in the published findings. The club's chief executive, Ferran Soriano, has characterized the process as a "Premier League conspiracy theory," while chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has assured supporters that "the Premier League process still has a long way to run" and reiterated the club's confidence in proving innocence.