Man City found guilty of financial rule breaches… inflated by 900 million pounds; appeal deadline October 2
On September 29, the PL announced that Man City had been found guilty on all charges of breaching financial rules. The amount of the inflation exceeds 900 million pounds. City said they will appeal, and the severity of the sanctions is undecided.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Summary in three lines
- The PL independent commission found Man City guilty on all charges of financial rule breaches from the 2009/10 to 2017/18 seasons.
- Through sham contracts and funds routed around the rules via ADUG, the amount by which revenue was inflated and costs reduced exceeds 900 million pounds.
- City said they will appeal, and the appeal deadline is October 2. Sanctions will be decided at a separate hearing.
On September 29, 2026, the Premier League (PL) released a redacted version of the independent commission's "key decision." City were found guilty on every charge of financial rule breaches spanning 9 seasons. PL CEO Richard Masters said in a statement that day that it was "the most significant disciplinary case and decision in PL history." Sanctions have not yet been set.
Scope of Man City's guilt: 114 charges vs. all of them… inflated by 900 million pounds
PL official statement, the commission found that City signed "sham" contracts with commercial partners and used a workaround structure funded by Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG). The amount by which revenue was inflated and costs reduced this way was more than 900 million pounds. That is the total across 9 seasons, not a single contract. The commission also found a "clear intent" to evade the rules.
The number of guilty counts differs by outlet. On September 25, four days before the announcement, The Athletic first reported "114 of 115 charges guilty," and Reuters confirmed it, according to Al Jazeera. ESPN wrote "guilty on all charges." The full PL statement shows that only 3 of the 4 cooperation-breach items were upheld. By the official count, it is not "all 115."
| Charge category | Count | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Failure to submit accurate financial information | 54 | 47.0 |
| Non-cooperation with league investigation | 35 | 30.4 |
| Player and manager remuneration | 14 | 12.2 |
| PL profitability and sustainability rules | 7 | 6.1 |
| Compliance with UEFA financial regulations | 5 | 4.3 |
Breakdown of the 115 charges. Counts are based on reports by Al Jazeera and The Football Week; shares were calculated by dividing each count by 115.
Man City's appeal deadline is October 2… rebutting "serious errors"
In a September 29 club statement, City said they were "disappointed and surprised" and maintained their innocence. They argue the ruling contains "clear and serious errors of law, principle and fact." The appeal deadline is Friday, October 2. According to Sky Sports, if City appeal, a new three-person appeals committee will take the case. Reports differ on whether a referral to CAS is possible: Sky Sports says it is not, while CBS Sports says it is.
Man City points deduction: compared with the precedents of Everton's 6 points and Derby's 9 points
The sanctions will be decided by the same commission at a separate hearing, and no date has been disclosed (as of 2026.09.30). After 5 matches, City are in first place, 3 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, with 15 points (as of 2026.09.20). Even a deduction of just 6 points, as in Everton's case, would put them on 9 points, below Arsenal (12 points) and Brighton (10 points). This is only simple arithmetic, and the size of any deduction is undecided.
| Case | Season / body | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Everton | 2023/24 · PL | 10-point deduction → reduced to 6 points |
| Derby County | 2021/22 · EFL | 21-point deduction (9 points for financial rule breaches; the remaining 12 points were a separate penalty for entering administration) |
| Man City | 2020 · UEFA | Fine of 30 million euros (original decision) and a 2-season ban from European competition → ban overturned by CAS |
| Man City | 2026 · PL | Undecided (separate sanctions hearing) |
Reports of compensation claims against Man City from at least 4 clubs… 7 and a half years on
CBS Sports reported that at least 4 clubs, including Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United, have filed compensation claims against City. Neither the PL nor the clubs involved have officially confirmed the claims. Former Aston Villa executive Christian Purslow said it is "likely to spiral out of control," CBS Sports reported. Whether past titles will be stripped has also not been decided.
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Allegations raised by Germany's Der Spiegel in its "Football Leaks" reporting |
| March 2019 | PL investigation begins |
| 2020 | UEFA sanction → CAS overturns the ban |
| February 2023 | PL refers the 115 charges to an independent commission |
| September 16 to December 2024 | Hearing of about 12 weeks |
| September 25, 2026 | The Athletic reports "114 charges guilty" |
| September 29, 2026 | PL official announcement; City announce they will appeal |
| October 2, 2026 | Appeal deadline |
It took about 7 years and 6 months from the start of the investigation to the official announcement, and about 21 months from the end of the hearing to the ruling.
The question of responsibility has been settled, but the severity of the punishment and the finalization of the ruling remain. League standings are figures that keep updating, so they should be checked again against the official PL table. Finalization of the ruling depends on City's appeal, and the severity of the punishment on a sanctions hearing whose date has not even been disclosed. The first turning point is the appeal deadline, October 2.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Has Man City's points deduction been confirmed?
No. As of September 30, 2026, sanctions including fines and points deductions have not been set, and the same commission will decide them at a separate hearing. Talk in some quarters of a deduction of 50 to 100 points is commentary from outlets such as Football365 and GOAL, not an official forecast.
Q. What are Man City's appeal deadline and the procedure?
According to the PL's official statement, the appeal deadline is Friday, October 2. If City appeal, a new three-person appeals committee will hear the case. ESPN analyzed that an appeal could add 6 to 8 months to the process, and the PL said it will wrap up the remaining proceedings "swiftly."
Q. How are Man City's 115 charges broken down?
Failure to submit accurate financial information is the largest category at 54 charges, followed by non-cooperation with the league investigation at 35, player and manager remuneration at 14, PL profitability and sustainability rules at 7, and compliance with UEFA financial regulations at 5.
Related official sites
- Premier League official statement: Manchester City FC — the league's original text containing the ruling and the next steps
- Premier League independent commission key decision (redacted version) PDF — the original text of the commission's reasoning
- Manchester City official website club statement — the original text of the club's rebuttal and its decision to appeal
- Premier League official Manchester City club page — check the latest standings and fixtures
Featured image · Archive photo · Not a scene from a current match in the article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Ank Kumar), CC BY-SA 4.0
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