Manchester City have been found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules over nine seasons, in what many outlets are calling the bigge
Manchester City have been found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules over nine seasons, in what many outlets are calling the biggest scandal in the competition’s history.
The Premier League confirmed on Tuesday that an independent commission upheld every charge relating to serious breaches of its financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, as well as most of the charges of failing to cooperate with the league’s investigation.
The club had faced 115 charges in total, and almost all of them were upheld.
According to the league, City arranged “sham” contracts with commercial partners as part of a disguised funding scheme, in which sponsors paid only a portion of the stated fees, to inflate revenue artificially and reduce costs.
Reported estimates of the boost to City’s income range from £830 million to more than £900 million.
The commission also found that the club filed inaccurate accounts that concealed breaches of Premier League and UEFA spending limits, and that it made concerted efforts to frustrate the investigation, which began in December 2018 after leaked documents surfaced.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the decision showed how the club systematically broke the rules for nearly a decade.
City said they were “disappointed and surprised” by the finding, maintain their innocence and intend to appeal.
Sanctions will be decided at a separate hearing before the same commission, and any appeal would be heard by a new three-person panel.
Only a redacted 40-page core decision has been published, so the full reasoning is not yet public. Several Premier League clubs have reportedly lodged legal papers reserving the right to seek compensation from City through the courts if the verdict stands.
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