Man City respond to guilty verdict reports: Process ongoing, appeal expected

Manchester: Manchester City said on Friday that its wide-ranging legal case with the Premier League was “ongoing,” amid reports the club had been found guilty of nearly all of the financial charges against it.

The Athletic first reported that City has been found guilty of all but one of more than 100 charges laid by the Premier League, which accused the club in February 2023 of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009-18. It stated that sanctions have not been decided and all options remain open.

The BBC also reported the story.

In response, City said in a statement: “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality."

City added that its position “remains consistent” with previous comments regarding the case. The club has consistently denied the charges and is expected to appeal any guilty verdict.

“The club has diligently respected due process for eight years," City said, "on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”

City's punishment could encompass a massive points deduction, extending to potential expulsion from the Premier League.

When contacted by The Associated Press on Friday, the Premier League said it couldn't comment on the reports.

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City has consistently maintained its innocence after alleged leaked emails and documents, likely obtained through hacking, were published starting in 2018 by German magazine Der Spiegel. The documents allegedly demonstrated that City attempted to conceal the origin of revenue from deals linked to Abu Dhabi, whose ruling family purchased the club in 2008 and oversaw the expenditure of hundreds of millions of pounds on elite global talent over the following two decades.

City has been the most dominant team in English football over the last 15 years, securing eight Premier League titles since 2012 as well as the Champions League in 2023. Over the period under scrutiny, 2009-18, City won the league title three times, in 2012, 2014, and 2018.

The Premier League competition operates financial fair play rules intended to ensure clubs spend within their generated revenue from deals evaluated at fair market value. City was previously accused by UEFA, European football’s governing body, of overstating sponsorship revenue to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

In 2020, UEFA ruled City had committed “serious breaches” of FFP rules between 2012 and 2016. However, a two-year ban was subsequently overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after allegations were either dismissed or deemed time-barred under statute-of-limitations rules.

The Premier League charges followed thereafter, concluding a four-year investigation. City was charged with more than 100 breaches, including providing inaccurate financial information and failing to co-operate with the inquiry.

AP