Manchester City appeals guilty verdict in Premier League case

Manchester City has appealed the guilty verdict against it in the Premier League financial-rules case. The club says it lodged its appeal after an independent commission found it guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of those rules.

The account of the decision says three of the four alleged breaches were upheld, while one charge was not proven. It also reports that Manchester City failed to cooperate with the league and did not act in good faith during the investigation.

In its findings, the commission said the club had arranged sham contracts with several commercial partners between 2009/10 and 2017/18 as part of a disguised funding scheme. It said the scheme was intended to artificially inflate the club’s revenues by £830m.

In a statement, Manchester City confirmed it had lodged its appeal at 7pm on Thursday 1 October 2026. The club said its position was that the decision contained, on multiple grounds, “clear material errors of law, principle and fact” and was “unsafe”. It also said: “The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League,” adding that it had irrefutable evidence supporting its arguments.

The statement said the club had respected due process and could say no more until the proceedings were complete. A statement released on Tuesday had already expressed Manchester City’s “disappointment” and “surprise” at the opinion of the Premier League commission. However, the statement’s reference to a Premier League commission is erroneous.

The club has maintained its innocence throughout the process. Ferran Soriano had called it a “Premier League conspiracy theory” in a video message to players and staff. The commission, meanwhile, described the time taken to reach a decision as “regrettable”; the hearing took place between September and December 2024.

The next stage could take time. The appeal could run into next year if Manchester City argues that the process should not follow Premier League rules introduced for this season. The appeal rules state that this stage of the disciplinary process must be completed within 12 weeks and that the hearing can last no more than five days. The club’s lawyers could argue that the new rules do not apply because the charges were brought in 2023 and the hearing took place in 2024, before the rules were added to the Premier League Handbook. A legal expert believes Manchester City would have strong arguments on that point.