Man City Found Guilty on All 100-Plus Financial Charges — SkimNews
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- Manchester City were found guilty on all charges of serious breaches of Premier League financial regulations spanning 2009-2018, per an independent commission's verdict
- Premier League CEO Richard Masters said City "systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade," calling the case "the most significant in Premier League history"
- The independent panel found City arranged "sham" contracts with commercial partners to inflate commercial earnings by £830 million ($1.08bn) between 2009-2018
- During the nine-year period, City declared £949.94 million from Abu Dhabi sponsors but only £119.25 million was actually paid by those sponsors
- Possible sanctions for Manchester City include massive points deductions, fines, or expulsion from the league — to be decided in a separate hearing; City has vowed to appeal, calling the ruling "disappointed and surprised" and claiming "irrefutable evidence" supports its position
- Ferran Soriano, City's CEO, told staff in a video message the guilty verdict was the result of a "Premier League conspiracy theory" based on a "single false accusation" about the owner's money being funneled through sponsors
Why it matters: Manchester City face possible points deductions, fines, or Premier League expulsion following a guilty verdict on all 100-plus financial charges spanning 2009-2018. With City having inflated commercial revenue by £830 million through 'sham' contracts during the same era they won multiple Premier League titles and the Champions League, the ruling directly threatens the sporting legitimacy of the club's modern achievements.
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