Man City confirm appeal against guilty verdict

Manchester City have announced they will be appealing the independent commission's guilty verdict against the club for breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations. In a statement, the club described the commission's ruling as containing "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe". The club maintains its innocence and claims to have evidence supporting all of its positions.

Earlier in the week, the Football Association commented on the implications of the verdict for the integrity of the game, stating it will "carefully consider the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate".

The club was found guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The allegations revolve around the club arranging "sham contracts" with commercial partners to disguise secret funding of over £830 million.

City's defense may be complicated by statements made by their major sponsor, Etihad Airways, to the US government in 2015. During an investigation into state-owned airlines, Etihad Airways denied the assertion that Abu Dhabi government funds the sponsorship of Manchester City, stating that they fund their own sponsorship from liquidity. Etihad later reiterated that they do not receive any subsidies from the Abu Dhabi government.

The Football Association has emphasized that City "systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade". The governing body has not yet commented on the specifics of the appeal, but they have stated they will "continue to monitor developments closely".