Manchester City have formally responded to an independent commission’s verdict after being found guilty of serious financial breaches and non-cooperation charges following a long-running Premier League investigation. The decision, detailed in a 1,545-word statement from the Premier League, concluded that the club committed extensive violations across a nine-season period spanning from 2009 to 2018. Following charges initially leveled in February 2023, the commission established that City utilized sham contracts and agreements with commercial partners to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by over £900 million to appear compliant with financial rules. In an official response following an earlier statement from chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Manchester City maintained their complete stance of innocence while expressing disappointment and surprise at the ruling.
The detailed findings indicated that the club engaged in schemes designed to conceal revenue streams tied to Abu Dhabi, whose ruling family purchased Manchester City in 2008 and subsequently funded hundreds of millions of dollars in player acquisitions. According to the independent commission, the club committed severe breaches of both Premier League and UEFA spending limits by failing to accurately report commercial agreements in official accounts. Additionally, the panel upheld three of four alleged breaches regarding City’s failure to cooperate in good faith during the League’s multi-year inquiry. Premier League Chief Executive Masters described the verdict as a vindication of the decision to act against the club after facing previous criticism over the timeline of the investigation.
Refusing to accept the independent panel’s decision, Manchester City insisted that a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all their positions. The club asserted that the commission’s opinion contains clear material errors of law, principle, and fact, arguing that these flaws render the panel’s judgment entirely unsafe. Consequently, City confirmed plans to be relentless and proactive across all appropriate regulatory and legal forums. Under Premier League rules, the club has until Friday to submit a formal notice to appeal, setting the stage for an extended legal contest that could last for months.
In their public statement, Manchester City emphasized that the Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted and subject to strict confidentiality. The club stressed that for eight years they diligently respected due process under the expectation that the Premier League board and executive would act as an independent, impartial, and fair-minded regulator free from partisan influence. Now that the underlying charges have been ruled upon, the issue of formal sanctions will be addressed separately in a future hearing before the independent commission. For now, the club noted that it remains legally restricted in making further statements until all future proceedings reach a final conclusion.
