An independent panel has found Manchester City guilty of 114 out of 115 financial charges brought by the Premier League, according to reports from The Athletic and CBS Sports on September 25, 2026. The verdict follows an investigation into allegations that the club artificially inflated its revenue by more than $1 billion over nearly a decade. The Premier League confirmed the club was found guilty of serious breaches of financial rules occurring between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
The charges were initially brought in February 2023 following the leaking of documents to the German newspaper Der Spiegel. The league alleged that Manchester City failed to provide accurate financial information, breached UEFA's financial fair play regulations, and violated the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Throughout the three-year process, Manchester City has maintained its innocence and stated it respected due process on the assumption that the league would act as an impartial regulator.
According to reports, the panel found the club guilty of almost all charges, including claims of paying managers and players off the books to circumvent spending restrictions. While the league confirmed the guilty verdict for breaches between 2009 and 2018, sanctions have not yet been determined. A Manchester City spokesperson stated that the club's position remains consistent with its February 2023 statement and noted that the process remains subject to strict confidentiality.
A person following the team would notice the impact most through potential changes to the club’s standing in the league table or its eligibility for future competitions. While the period in question covers three Premier League titles won between 2009 and 2018, it is not yet known if those titles will be retroactively stripped or awarded to runners-up. The verdict sets a precedent for how the Premier League regulates its member clubs' financial disclosures and sponsorship valuations, moving beyond the smaller points deductions previously seen for clubs like Everton and Leicester City.
The next steps involve the determination of specific sanctions by the independent commission. Once those penalties are announced, Manchester City is widely expected to appeal the verdict and any resulting punishments. James Benge of CBS Sports reported that the appeals process could potentially last for years, meaning the final resolution and any concrete changes to the club's status or the league's history may not be settled for a significant amount of time. In the immediate term, the club will continue to compete in the Premier League while the legal process continues.