Manchester City found guilty of all Premier League financial charges
Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges of serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules across nine seasons. The Premier League announced the decision from an independent commission, a legal panel separate from the league itself, on 29 September 2026, according to The Guardian. It ends the first stage of a case that has hung over English football for more than three years.
The period at issue runs from 2009-10 to 2017-18. During those seasons, the commission found City used schemes to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs by more than £900m to appear to comply with the rules. Commercial deals were documented through sham contracts that misrepresented the true agreements between the parties.
Accounts were misstated. The true state of the club's finances was concealed from auditors and football regulators. The commission said that if the information had been reported accurately, City would have breached Premier League and UEFA spending limits, rules that stop clubs spending far more than they earn, by a very large amount.
The commission also found City guilty of the majority of charges relating to failure to cooperate with the Premier League investigation. That part of the case concerns whether the club handed over documents and information when asked. It ran alongside the main charges about revenues, costs and accounts.
The road to this point was long. The Premier League referred a number of alleged breaches by City to a commission on 6 February 2023, under Premier League Rule W.82.1. When word of a verdict first emerged on 25 September 2026, first reported by The Athletic, several outlets put the figure at guilty on all but one of 115 charges. The league's announcement on 29 September is the authoritative version. It says guilty on all charges.
No punishment has been set. A further hearing with the independent commission will address sanction. Before that final announcement, reporting suggested the possible range could stretch from fines and a points deduction, a cut to a club's league total, to relegation, according to Reuters. Nothing has been decided.
City say they will appeal. The club said the opinion contains clear material errors of law, principle and fact and is unsafe. An appeal would prolong a process that has already lasted years.
For supporters, this means more waiting. Results stand. The table is unchanged. What happens next turns on the sanction hearing and any appeal, and neither will be quick.
