Manchester City have been found guilty by an independent commission of all charges relating to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules over a nine-season period from 2009/10 to 2017/18. The verdict was officially confirmed by the Premier League on Tuesday.
The commission found that City used “sham” commercial agreements to artificially inflate revenue and reduce costs, with the disputed arrangements involving more than £900 million. The club was also found to have filed misstated accounts and significantly breached Premier League and UEFA spending limits.
City were also found guilty of most of the charges relating to their cooperation with the Premier League’s investigation. The commission said three of four alleged failures to cooperate were upheld.
Manchester City have rejected the findings and confirmed they will appeal, with the deadline set for October 2. No sporting sanction has been decided yet, with a separate sanctions process still to come.
