An independent commission has ruled Manchester City guilty on all but a few counts of financial regulation breaches.
The charges, which came from an extensive investigation first started in February 2023, covered nine seasons (2009-10 through 2017-18). The club has continually and unwaveringly asserted its innocence through the process, and the independent panel’s verdict was a significant milestone in sports law and English football management.
In total, the case involved over 100 individual charges relating to the Premier League. The detailed reports by the commission cover multiple key prongs of financial fair play and compliance regulations.
Failure to give “a true and fair view” of the club’s financial position, in particular income streams, corporate sponsorship and running costs Breaches of the requirement for full transparency over manager and player pay in contracted terms (including pay to managers from 2009-2013, and some of the deals related to the club’s failure to aid and cooperate with the Premier League investigation from 2018-19).
Importantly, the punishments for the guilty verdict are still to be determined in the next phase of proceedings. The independent commission has wide-ranging powers and can deliver a wide variety of punishments – from multi-million-pound fines to enormous points deductions or even relegation from the top tier of English football.
Manchester City is to appeal the commission’s decision.
An independent commission will be set up to decide on the matter based on the evidence and procedures.
Should any punishments (points deductions) be imposed, it is likely they will be deferred until a conclusion is reached regarding the appeal.
This sentence has the potential to change the game in European football.
As the trial moves to appeal, confusion will begin to cloud the history of the title throughout that year, as well as how squads will be built in the future, and the precedent this sets for financial enforcement across top European sports.
