Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, with the club accused of misrepresenting its finances by about £900 million.
The findings concern a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018, during which City won eight major trophies. The independent commission that oversaw the hearing concluded in December 2024, but its decision had not previously been made public.
According to the Premier League, the commission found that City used sham contracts with commercial partners to inflate revenue and reduce costs. The league said some sponsors paid only part of their stated fees, with the remainder funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, the company that owned the club.
The commission also found that further arrangements funded by ADUG enabled City to record lower operating expenses than those it had actually incurred. A separate arrangement involving Fordham, which purchased players’ image rights, was also described as sham and funded by ADUG.
The Premier League said the effect of those arrangements was to inflate revenues and reduce costs by approximately £900 million. Had the club reported its finances accurately, it would have been in “significant” breach of both Premier League and Uefa spending limits, the league said.
The commission concluded that City filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from auditors and football regulators. It also found multiple breaches of the club’s duties to co-operate and act in good faith during the Premier League’s four-year investigation.
The league said City had made “concerted efforts” to stop and frustrate the investigation, which was triggered by the emergence of club emails obtained by a hacker.
Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, said the decision established what had happened at City and “systematically” breaking the league’s rules over nearly a decade.
“It also vindicates the Premier League’s decision to pursue this case against Manchester City,” Masters said. “While the process to date has been both long and difficult, the League has remained determined that the facts be established independently.”
He added that the case was the most significant disciplinary matter in Premier League history, but stressed that key issues remained unresolved, including the sanction to be imposed.
“Now we have the Commission’s decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the League, our clubs and fans,” Masters said.
City said it was “surprised and disappointed” by the commission’s opinion and insisted that it was innocent of the Premier League’s accusations.
“A comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case,” the club said. It added that it would pursue the appeal avenues available to it, arguing that the opinion contained material errors of law, principle and fact and was unsafe.
City said the Premier League process remained ongoing, with significant elements still incomplete, and that it was restricted in what it could say until all future proceedings had concluded.
