Details of Man City's breaches revealed. How serious is it?
The scale of Manchester City's financial case has become much clearer.
Details: The Premier League has published details of the independent Commission's findings concerning Manchester City's conduct between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons. According to the League, the club arranged sham contracts with several commercial partners and relied on other sham agreements in schemes designed to artificially increase revenues and reduce costs.
The Commission found that some sponsorship arrangements formed part of a disguised funding scheme: commercial partners paid only part of the relevant fees, while the remainder was funded by Abu Dhabi United Group, which owned Manchester City. Further arrangements allegedly allowed the club to record lower operating expenses, while a circular arrangement involving Fordham and players' image rights was also funded by ADUG.
According to the Premier League, these schemes inflated Manchester City's revenues and reduced its costs by more than £900 million over the affected period. The Commission concluded that the club consequently filed misstated accounts, concealed the true condition of its finances from auditors and football regulators, and would have been in significant breach of both Premier League and UEFA spending limits had the agreements been reported accurately.
The case also covered City's conduct during the League's four-year investigation. Three of four alleged breaches relating to the club's duties of co-operation and utmost good faith were upheld. The Commission concluded that Manchester City had made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the investigation.
No final punishment has yet been announced. The sanction will be considered separately, while Premier League rules allow the Commission to impose fines, points deductions or other sporting sanctions. Manchester City also have the right to appeal the findings and have until October 2 to exercise that right. It is worth noting that the Commission's main hearing lasted 42 days and concluded back in December 2024.
Reminder: Scandal! Man City issue official statement over the charges
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
