Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League in the most significant disciplinary case in the history of English football. The verdict, delivered by an independent commission on 25 September 2026 after more than two years of hearings, throws the future of the serial champions into serious doubt and could reshape the landscape of the Premier League.
The verdict
The independent panel ruled against City on virtually every count. Of the original 134 charges — which covered the seasons from 2009-10 to 2022-23 — 115 were ultimately adjudicated, and the club was found to have breached Premier League financial rules on 114 occasions. The most serious allegations centred on claims that City failed to provide accurate financial information to the league over a sustained period, including discrepancies around sponsorship revenue, operating costs and the club's compliance with profit and sustainability rules.
The ruling was first reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic and quickly confirmed by multiple outlets including CNN, The Guardian and the Australian Financial Review. Neither the Premier League nor Manchester City publicly confirmed the outcome on Friday evening, with both sides citing the confidential nature of proceedings. City executives are understood to have learned of the verdict following a shareholders' meeting in central London on Thursday and subsequently signed non-disclosure agreements.
What City won during the period under investigation
The scale of the case is amplified by the success City enjoyed during the years under scrutiny. From 2009-10 to 2022-23 inclusive, the club won seven Premier League titles, one Champions League, three FA Cups and six League Cups. If sanctions include the stripping of titles — one of the options available to the commission — it would represent an unprecedented rewriting of English football's recent history.
Possible sanctions
Under Premier League rule W.64, the disciplinary panel has a wide range of punishments at its disposal once the appeal process is exhausted. These include financial penalties, points deductions of any magnitude, suspension from competition, or, in the most extreme scenario, expulsion from the league entirely. There is no direct precedent for a case of this magnitude in English football. The nearest comparison is the Chelsea agents' case, in which the club breached FA rules on 74 occasions, but the scale and severity of City's breaches far exceed that matter.
A points deduction would have immediate competitive consequences, potentially relegating City from the Premier League. Title stripping would erase an era of dominance that transformed the club from mid-table obscurity into one of the most decorated sides in European football.
The appeal process
City are expected to appeal the decision. Under Premier League rule W.86, any appeal must be lodged within 14 days of the verdict. A hearing should then conclude no later than 12 weeks after the first appeal is submitted, and the appeal board's decision — alongside full written reasons — must be published within 30 days of the hearing's conclusion.
The club's statement, issued to CNN, maintained its innocence: "The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC's position remains consistent with the club's statement of February 2023. The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence."
Political reaction
The verdict drew immediate attention from the highest levels of government. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, asked about the news on Friday evening, told ITV Granada Reports: "I've only just been made aware of it — I think these are reports at this stage. But if they're confirmed, obviously I will want to look at the report of the independent commission. People shouldn't jump to those kind of conclusions. I know this has been a long process between the club and the Premier League. I think quite a contested process. So I don't think it's as simple as jumping to conclusions."
A timeline stretching back years
The case has been one of the longest-running sagas in football governance. The Premier League first announced its investigation into City in late 2018, following reporting by German magazine Der Spiegel based on leaked documents from the Football Leaks whistleblower. The formal charges were finally brought in February 2023, covering alleged breaches across 14 seasons. Disciplinary hearings began later that year and continued into 2025, with the verdict now delivered more than three and a half years after the charges were first levelled.
The case has strained relations between City and the Premier League, and raised broader questions about the effectiveness of financial regulation in a competition where sovereign wealth and corporate ownership have transformed the competitive landscape. Whatever the outcome of the appeal, the verdict marks a watershed moment for the governance of English football.
Sources
- https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/sep/25/manchester-city-found-guilty-of-breaking-premier-leagues-financial-fair-play-rules
- https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/25/sport/manchester-city-charges-premier-league
- https://www.afr.com/world/europe/megabucks-manchester-city-found-guilty-of-financial-breaches-20260926-p610nj
