Sports News

Manchester City found guilty of all serious financial charges over 'sham' deals worth £900m

An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of all charges of serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, the league said on Tuesday. Al Jazeera reported the finding that City arranged “sham” contracts with commercial partners and used schemes to inflate revenues and cut costs by more than £900m ($1.2bn). Sponsors paid only part of their fees, with the rest funded by the club's owner, Abu Dhabi United Group. City were also found to have tried to “stop and frustrate” the investigation. UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called it “incredibly serious”.

“The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League.” — Manchester City statement, via Al Jazeera

The Guardian called it a “bombshell” and said the commission also found “sham” image-rights deals with players and the then manager Roberto Mancini. City chief executive Ferran Soriano told staff in a video that the decision rested on a “Premier League conspiracy theory”, and the club will appeal. League chief executive Richard Masters called it the most significant case in Premier League history.

ITV Granada, the regional news for Manchester, set out what could follow. Under the league's rules, penalties range from a reprimand to expulsion, and fines are unlimited. It recalled that City overturned a two-year UEFA ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2020.

How each outlet framed it

• Al Jazeera — the ownership link to Abu Dhabi and the UK government's reaction.
• The Guardian — the scale of the findings and City's defiant reply.
• ITV Granada — sanctions, appeals and the 2020 precedent.

What we don't know yet: the punishment. Sanctions will be decided at a separate hearing, which is expected to run alongside City's appeal.