Manchester City have responded to the Premier League’s findings in the club’s long-running financial case, expressing disappointment with the verdict and confirming plans to appeal.
The Premier League announced that an independent commission had found City culpable of 114 of the 115 charges brought against the club, with one charge relating to a failure to cooperate with the league’s investigation not upheld.
According to the published findings, the commission concluded that City had breached financial regulations relating to sponsorship arrangements, financial reporting and expenditure limits during the period under investigation.
The Premier League also alleged that the club had submitted inaccurate financial information and exceeded permitted expenditure by more than £900 million during the relevant period.
City were additionally found to have breached rules requiring clubs to cooperate with the Premier League and provide complete information during investigations.
The commission’s assessment was published in a redacted form on the Premier League’s official website.
City have until Friday to lodge an appeal and have already made clear that they intend to challenge the findings.
In a statement, the club said it would pursue “all appropriate regulatory and legal forums” and argued that the commission’s opinion contained what it described as “material errors” of law, principle and fact.
“The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted. Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe,” the club said.
City also criticised aspects of the eight-year process, saying it had operated on the expectation that the Premier League’s regulatory system would be autonomous, neutral and fair.
“The Club have conscientiously adhered to procedural fairness throughout an eight-year duration based on the expectation that the Premier League Board and Administration would function as an autonomous, neutral, and equitable regulatory authority, insulated from biased considerations,” the statement added.
The club said it was limited in what it could disclose while further legal proceedings remain ongoing.
The Premier League has stressed that there are no automatic or predetermined sanctions for financial regulation breaches. Potential penalties could include a points deduction, a financial fine or, in more serious circumstances, expulsion from the Premier League.
No final punishment has been announced, and City’s appeal process is expected to determine the next stage of the case.
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