Manchester City found guilty of historic Premier League breaches
Richard MastersManchester City have been found guilty of devastating financial breaches after an independent commission ruled they systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade.
The reigning champions were found to have committed 114 breaches out of the 115 charges brought against them, with the commission detailing a massive disguised funding scheme.
According to the written findings, the club artificially inflated their commercial revenues by a staggering £830 million between 2009 and 2018.
A systematic scheme of deception
The commission established that City arranged sham contracts with various commercial partners to hide direct funding from their owners, the Abu Dhabi United Group.
During the 2017-18 season, Pep Guardiola’s second year in charge, the club declared £145.73 million in commercial revenue, but sponsors actually paid just £11 million.
The remaining £134.73 million was funnelled directly by the owners, which directly violated the financial regulations of the division.
Over the nine-year period in question, City claimed £949.94 million from Abu Dhabi sponsors, but only £119.25 million of that sum was legitimate sponsorship money.
Speaking about the verdict, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said:
“It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade.”
The commission also revealed that several key club witnesses gave false and dishonest evidence during the extensive hearing.
Furthermore, the sham arrangements allowed City to avoid reporting what would have been the largest single-season financial loss in the history of the Premier League during the 2009-10 campaign.
Pundits demand unprecedented punishment
The scale of the deception has left the football world in shock, with experts and former players calling for the ultimate sporting sanctions.
Reacting to the findings on ITV Sport, former striker Ian Wright said:
“It’s cheating on an industrial scale. It’s quite surreal seeing it written down like that.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also warned that expulsion from the top flight remains a very real possibility for the Manchester club.
Former City chairman David Bernstein believes a points deduction or financial fine would not represent a sufficient penalty for breaches of this magnitude.
Speaking to BBC Radio, Bernstein said:
“If this all stands up and the appeal fails, Manchester City cannot stay in the Premier League – they have to suffer a serious penalty that takes them out of the Premier League and I say that as a supporter and fan of 70 years.”
During the period under investigation, City secured three Premier League titles and signed legendary players like Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, and David Silva.
The club vows to fight on
Despite the damning verdict, City have maintained their innocence and intend to challenge the findings of the independent commission.
In an official club statement, Manchester City declared:
“The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case.”
The club now has until 2 October to formally submit their appeal against the ruling, which they have branded as unsafe and full of material errors.
Meanwhile, chief executive Ferran Soriano has reportedly sent a video message to staff blaming a Premier League conspiracy theory for the situation.
City face a trip to Anfield to play Liverpool in their next fixture, adding immediate on-pitch drama to an escalating legal war.
