Man City found guilty on almost all 115 Premier League charges: Report

Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges the club has faced regarding breaching Premier League financial rules, according a report in The Athletic.

The sanctions have not yet been decided, and City are expected to appeal, according to an article by The Athletic’s David Ornstein on Friday, who cited anonymous sources briefed on the matter.

Sanctions could include points deductions, financial penalties, and even stripping titles won by City and relegation from the Premier League.

A spokesperson for City, who have denied the charges, said, “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such, Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the club’s statement of February 2023.

“The club have diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”

Since a 2008 takeover by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family, City have been transformed from also-rans into the Premier League’s dominant force.

Eight of the club’s 10 league titles have come in the past 15 seasons, plus a first and only Champions League in 2023.

The club has been accused of breaching financial rules while on the rise to their current status.

Of the 115 charges, 80 are for breaches of regulations from 2009 to 2018, while the remaining 35 relate to failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation.

The charges stem from leaked documents published by the German news magazine Der Spiegel in 2018.

Emails purportedly sent between top City executives showed the club had inflated sponsorship revenue from the UAE state-controlled airline Etihad and telecommunications firm Etisalat by disguising direct investment from Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group as income.

Other documents claimed to show off-the-books payments to then-manager Roberto Mancini via consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi.

City have insisted there is a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” to prove its innocence.

They have already defended their position in one case in which a two-year ban from the Champions League by UEFA was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2020.

The CAS found most of the alleged breaches of overstating sponsorship revenue were either not established or “time-barred” because they fell outside the five-year statutory limit for prosecution.

But no such time limitation clause exists in the Premier League case.

Everton and Nottingham Forest were both hit by points deductions in the 2023/24 season for single breaches of profit and sustainability rules.

A severe punishment would also raise doubts about the future of City’s cast of star players, including prolific striker Erling Haaland.

Other clubs could make a claim for titles to be stripped and compensation if City gained an unfair advantage by proscribed means.