Reporting today by David Ornstein for The Athletic has revealed that Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 of their 115 initial charges, ending the case that has been ongoing since February 2023.
The breaches they have been found guilty of happened between 2009 and 2018, immediately after Sheikh Mansour gained ownership of the club. The charges relate to failures to disclose accurate financial information when it came to payment of both players and coaching staff, as well as breaches of UEFA’s
financial fair play (FFP) regulations and the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). During the period in question, Manchester City won the Premier League three times, and also won the FA Cup once and League Cup three times — most notably for Liverpool is obviously their League title of 2013-14, with the narrow win in 2018-19 beyond the bounds of the breaches.
The punishments for City’s breaches have not yet been determined, and will have to be “proportionate” to avoid being overturned in Manchester City’s promised appeal.
The potential punishments outlined in the disciplinary section (W) of the Premier League handbook range from a reprimand and fines to a points deduction or expulsion from the league. Points deductions, crucially, can either be applied at the time of the decision or retroactively, which could impact past results.
The potential for retroactive punishment is unlikely according to The Athletic’s research at the time of the charges: James Hill, an expert in sports regulatory matters at Onside Law told the outlet, “I would expect that if there is a points deduction, it would be applied going forward. Generally, panels don’t like deciding titles in a court process. Doing it that way does not give a real tangible punishment to the club.”
The panel can adjudge any combination of possible punishments, and all of this is pending the inevitable Manchester City appeal. It’s worth remembering that City were previously hit with a ban and a fine from UEFA which were promptly overturned in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) as the FFP breaches were not well enough established or were time barred (in other words, they were guilty but UEFA regulations meant the breaches occurred too long ago to be punished).
The CAS is not an option for this dispute, and Manchester City’s appeal will take place within the Premier League apparatus per The Independent. The club have 14 days to lodge an appeal, which would see a new three-person commission to look at the case and its findings. The findings of this second Premier League panel would be final, with no further avenue for appeal.
