It’s Official: Manchester City Found Guilty—Here’s What They Face and Which Trophies They Could Lose
The Premier League has officially confirmed what had been in the air for some time: Manchester City has been found guilty by an independent commission of the English top flight of serious financial violations committed over nine seasons, between 2009 and 2018. The club has until Friday, October 2, to file an appeal, and the Citizens have already announced that they will do so.
These are the opening lines of the official statement released by the Premier League commission: “The independent commission found that between the 2009–10 and 2017–18 seasons, Manchester City entered into fictitious contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with several commercial partners, and also used sham arrangements with others to artificially inflate the club’s revenue and reduce its costs.”
“The club submitted falsified financial statements and concealed its true financial position from auditors and soccer regulatory bodies. Manchester City significantly violated the spending limits imposed by both the Premier League and UEFA. During the investigation, Manchester City committed multiple violations of its obligations to cooperate and act in good faith toward the League.”
Manchester City faces a very severe penalty, which could range from a massive points deduction (and relegation) in the current season to expulsion or suspension from the Premier League. The penalty will be determined in a separate, closed-door hearing. Titles won on the field during that period, however, would not be at risk: retroactive revocation of league titles is not listed among the penalties envisaged by the Commission.
Manchester City’s reaction was vehement: “The club rejects the allegations made by the Premier League and has a substantial body of irrefutable evidence to support its position on the matter. Manchester City will therefore act decisively and, where necessary, proactively in all relevant regulatory and legal forums. The Premier League’s proceedings are still ongoing and involve significant aspects that have not yet been resolved. Manchester City FC now intends to pursue the avenues of appeal available to it, believing that the ruling contains clear and substantial errors—in law, in principle, and in fact—and that it lacks legal basis.”
