On 29 September 2026, just four days after David Ornstein of The Athletic first reported the guilty verdict, the Premier League made their statement on the matter: “The independent commission found that [...] Manchester City arranged ‘sham’ contracts with a number of its commercial partners… filed misstated accounts… was significantly in breach of both the Premier League’s and UEFA’s spending limits… committed multiple breaches [...] of co-operation and utmost good faith towards the league… the commission concluded that ‘by its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL rules’ ”.
...the club systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade.
Richard Masters, Chief Executive of the Premier League, also stated, “The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade”.
The club were first charged in 2023, leading to an independent commission reviewing the case. Prior to the Premier League opening an investigation into the financial breaches, UEFA banned the club from its competitions for two years and fined them £26.8m. However, this was later overturned by a Court of Arbitration for Sport that determined the breaches of Financial Fair Play were not established or time-barred (happening too long ago to be used for prosecution). Although, as seen in the Premier League’s official statement, PL clubs competing in UEFA competitions must comply with the financial rules of both competitions, Manchester City complied with neither.
During those nine seasons, City spent around £1.2bn on new signings, including Sergio Aguero (£35.3m), Kevin De Bruyne (£54.3m) and Bernado Silva (£44.6m), among many other major signings that played an integral role in the clubs on-field success. Success that accumulated to three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups.
This success on the pitch can be seen to have impacted all other clubs in the league. Not only with those who finished second in the table, but those who missed out on European spots and those who were relegated have also been affected by City spending as much as they did on a team that they shouldn’t have been able to afford.
Individual cases have also been raised in light of the guilty verdict, as some players and managers feel they have missed out on contract bonuses as a result of City’s financial negligence.
... it is expected that they will receive a much harsher punishment.
As far as punishment for Manchester City goes, suggestion has ranged from points deductions, serious fines and expulsion from the football league. Everton FC were punished for breaches of PSR rules, exceeding the £105m limit for financial losses by £19.5m and £16.6m on two separate occasions and were deducted a total of eight points. With City’s financial breaches being far more serious, it is expected that they will receive a much harsher punishment.
Manchester City have appealed the decision, likely leading to a lengthy arbitration process that leaves the football community waiting for a conclusion to this concerning matter.