Do Manchester City have any grounds to win their appeal?

Manchester City are facing significant challenges in their attempt to overturn the Premier League's financial ruling, according to James Severn, a member of the London Solicitor Litigation Association. The club was found guilty of breaching the league's financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18, as well as creating "sham contracts" to inflate sponsorship deals by £830m.

City's appeal will hinge on proving that the Independent Commission made material errors of law, principle, or fact, or suffered serious procedural unfairness. However, Severn notes that if such evidence was already available to the Commission, it may not be of much use in an appeal. The club's key defense will be that the Commission relied too heavily on emails obtained through the Football Leaks files, arguing that the Commission fundamentally misunderstood them, failed to consider their context, or reached conclusions inconsistent with other contemporaneous documents.

Additionally, City could argue that the Commission's members were biased, as they were chosen from the Premier League rather than being independent. Despite the difficulties, Severn maintains that City's lawyers are formidable, and while success may be challenging, it is not impossible.