{
  "id": 10806254,
  "title": "Man City must be relegated after guilty verdict says club's former chairman",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/man-city-must-be-relegated-after-guilty-verdict-says-clubs-former-10806254",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-29T23:01:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2026/09/1544304/man-city-must-be-relegated-after-guilty-verdict-says-clubs-former"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Manchester City must be expelled from the Premier League following a guilty verdict for breaching financial rules, according to the club's former chairman David Bernstein. The club was found to have arranged sham contracts with commercial partners to artificially inflate their revenues and reduce costs between 2009 and 2018. This scheme concealed the true state of their finances and avoided Premier League and UEFA spending limits. An independent commission also found the club guilty on the majority of charges due to their failure to cooperate with the league's investigation. City could face relegation, points deduction, or a significant fine. No sanction has been imposed yet, and the Abu Dhabi-backed club plans to appeal the decision. However, Bernstein believes the club deserves the strongest possible punishment. He stated that the case is \"damning beyond belief\" and the credibility of the Premier League is at stake. If the appeal fails, Manchester City cannot remain in the league, and they must suffer consequences, according to Bernstein, who is also a supporter and fan of the club.",
  "summary": "LONDON: Manchester City must be expelled from the Premier League after being found guilty of breaching financial rules, according to the club’s former chairman David Bernstein.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 7,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Fußball: Premier League spricht Man City in Finanz-Affäre schuldig",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/fu-ball-premier-league-spricht-man-city-in-finanz-affare-schuldig",
        "published": "2026-09-29T17:36:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch",
        "title": "Man City must be relegated after guilty verdict, says club’s former chairman",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/man-city-must-be-relegated-after-guilty-verdict-says-clubs-former",
        "published": "2026-09-29T18:36:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Ajel English",
        "title": "Manchester City found guilty of all Premier League financial rule breaches",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/manchester-city-found-guilty-of-all-premier-league-financial-rule",
        "published": "2026-09-29T18:53:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport Football",
        "title": "Premier League confirm Man City guilty of all charges - 5 Live reaction",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/premier-league-confirm-man-city-guilty-of-all-charges-5-live-reaction",
        "published": "2026-09-29T19:30:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Man City must be relegated after guilty verdict says club’s former chairman",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/man-city-must-be-relegated-after-guilty-verdict-says-clubs-former-10806445",
        "published": "2026-09-29T22:32:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Man City CEO: Premier League verdict based on ‘conspiracy theory’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/29/man-city-ceo-premier-league-verdict-based-on-conspiracy-theory",
        "published": "2026-09-29T23:06:07.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}