Man City Face Potential Sanctions After Guilty Verdict on 115 PL Charges
Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of 115 Premier League charges they face for alleged breaches of financial regulations, The Athletic reported on Friday.
The report said no sanction had yet been decided and that City were set to appeal.
The outcome of an independent hearing that began more than two years ago could have significant implications for English football.
The legacy of City’s trophy-laden era is at stake over accusations that the club’s success was built on financial impropriety.
City were charged by the Premier League in 2023 following an investigation into alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018.
The club, which has consistently denied the allegations, was accused of failing to provide accurate financial information and details of payments to players and coaches, as well as breaching financial sustainability rules.
Under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour, whose Abu Dhabi United Group acquired the club in 2008, City have become a dominant force in English football.
They have won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups, seven League Cups, and one Champions League in the past 15 years.
The roots of the allegations can be traced to leaked documents published by German outlet Der Spiegel in 2018.
Emails purportedly sent between senior City executives appeared to show that the club had inflated sponsorship revenue from Abu Dhabi state-controlled airline Etihad and telecommunications company Etisalat by disguising direct investment from Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group as income.
Other documents purportedly showed off-the-books payments to then manager Roberto Mancini through consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi.
If City are ultimately found guilty, potential sanctions could include a severe points deduction and possibly expulsion from the Premier League.
Everton and Nottingham Forest were both handed points deductions in the 2023/24 season for single breaches of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
A severe punishment could also raise questions over the future of City’s squad, including prolific striker Erling Haaland.
Other clubs could seek to have titles stripped and pursue compensation if it were established that City gained an unfair advantage through the alleged breaches.
