Premier League finds Man City guilty of serious financial breaches over £900m in ‘sham’ contracts

Manchester City Football Club has been found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations over a nine-season period from 2009 to 2018, according to an independent commission. The club, backed by an Abu Dhabi investment group, arranged "sham" contracts with commercial partners to artificially inflate their revenues and reduce costs by more than £900 million.

This manipulation concealed the true financial state of the club, allowing them to avoid breaching Premier League and UEFA spending limits. The commission found City guilty on the majority of charges related to their failure to cooperate with the league's investigation. The club has expressed surprise at the decision and intends to appeal against it, claiming the report contains "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe."

If the appeal fails, Manchester City could face severe sanctions, such as points deduction, fines, or even expulsion from the Premier League, putting their future in the league at risk and raising questions about whether titles could be stripped.