They refuse to surrender. Manchester City issues a bold challenge to Europe's top clubs

Manchester City's leadership clearly has no intention of throwing in the towel in its historic standoff with football authorities.

Details: BBC Sport has learned that Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano delivered a defiant and uncompromising statement to executives from Europe's leading clubs. The address came after the club was found guilty on the overwhelming majority of charges in the Premier League's wide-ranging investigation.

The executive took the floor in the closing minutes of a board meeting of the European Football Clubs association in Copenhagen, held ahead of the organisation's general assembly. Senior representatives of direct rivals, including top executives from Manchester United and Everton, were in the room at the time.

In his emotional address, Soriano categorically promised to continue the club's full-scale legal fight and stressed that the process was still a very long way from over. In doing so, the Spaniard echoed the key points made by City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak in his letter to the club's supporters on Saturday.

It is worth noting that an independent commission found the club guilty on 114 of the 115 charges of financial wrongdoing, while the upcoming appeals and potential lawsuits from rivals could drag on for several more years.

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