Manchester City to appeal against Premier League guilty verdict over financial breaches

Manchester City has been found guilty of serious financial rule breaches, with an independent Commission determining the club used "sham" commercial agreements to artificially inflate its revenues and reduce costs by over £900 million. The Premier League officially announced the findings on September 29, 2026, following a redacted version of the Commission's Core Decision.

The Commission concluded that City intentionally circumvented the Premier League's financial rules during the 2009/10 to 2017/18 seasons, filing misstated accounts and concealing its true financial state from auditors and football regulators. Additionally, the club was found to be in significant breach of both the Premier League's and UEFA's spending limits.

The Commission found that City's arrangements with some sponsors formed part of a disguised funding scheme to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs. As a result, the Premier League determined City failed to accurately report its income and expenditure, breaching both the Premier League's and UEFA's financial rules. City has the right to appeal the Commission's findings, with the appeal deadline set for October 2, 2026. The issue of sanctions will be addressed separately in a later hearing.