Manchester: Manchester City have been found guilty of breaching the majority of the 115 Premier League financial rules they were accused of breaking, according to sources cited by BBC Sport.
The ruling has reportedly been delivered by an independent commission examining the Premier League’s long-running case against the club. Other Premier League clubs have also been informed of the decision.
Manchester City, however, have stressed that the Premier League process has not yet concluded.
The Premier League brought the charges against City in February 2023 following a lengthy investigation into the club’s financial affairs and alleged breaches of competition rules.
What happens next for Manchester City?
The immediate focus will be on the independent panel’s full findings and any sanctions that may follow.
City’s legal team is expected to study the ruling before deciding on its next steps. Possible grounds for an appeal could include alleged procedural errors, incorrect interpretation of the law or other legal issues.
The potential sanctions in a case of this scale could be significant. Depending on the findings and applicable Premier League rules, possible consequences could include a financial penalty, points deduction or relegation.
Questions could also arise over the impact of any punishment on previous Premier League titles and other sporting or financial consequences.
However, no final punishment should be assumed until the formal outcome and any subsequent legal process have been completed.
City’s long-running dispute with football authorities
Manchester City’s case has been under scrutiny for several years.
In 2020, UEFA imposed a two-year ban from European competition on City after finding alleged Financial Fair Play breaches. The club appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which overturned the ban.
The latest Premier League case is separate from that UEFA proceedings and covers a much broader set of alleged financial and regulatory breaches.
City have consistently denied wrongdoing and have maintained their position throughout the Premier League investigation.
Guardiola’s previous defence of City
Pep Guardiola has publicly backed Manchester City’s ownership and leadership during previous controversies surrounding the club.
In 2019, amid questions concerning alleged payments linked to former City manager Roberto Mancini, Guardiola strongly rejected suggestions that he had received similar payments.
Guardiola also said in 2022 that he would leave the club if he discovered that the hierarchy had lied to him.
The latest ruling comes after Guardiola’s departure from the City managerial position following a decade in which he guided the club to numerous major trophies. He has since taken on a global ambassadorial role within the City Football Group.
Everton case offers a previous example
The potential consequences of the City case will also be closely watched by other Premier League clubs, including Everton.
Everton were sanctioned in November 2023 after being found to have breached the league’s financial rules. They initially received a 10-point deduction, which was subsequently reduced to six points following an appeal.
An appeal board later concluded that the original independent commission had made legal errors in reaching parts of its decision.
The Everton case demonstrates that an initial sanction can be subject to change through the appeal process.
For Manchester City, the next major steps will therefore be the publication of the independent panel’s detailed findings, the determination of any sanctions and any appeal that may follow.
