English soccer heavyweights Manchester City have been found guilty of the overwhelming majority of the 115 charges levied against them regarding alleged breaches of Premier League and UEFA financial regulations, according to reports.
City were first formally charged back in February 2023, before a 10-week hearing by an independent tribunal took place in late 2024. It has now been reported, initially by The Athletic, that a public announcement following that tribunal is expected very soon, and that the Manchester club have been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges. The Athletic has cited 'sources briefed on the matter'.
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No sanctions have yet been decided or disclosed, and City – who have consistently denied the allegations – are expected to appeal if the decision goes against them.
City were charged with a range of financial offences, allegedly committed between 2009 and 2018. Essentially, they were charged with breaching Premier League Profit and Sustainability (PSR) regulations, breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules set down by European soccer's UEFA, and failing to accurately report financial information for the nine aforementioned years (by disguising ownership funding as sponsorship income).
The club has, in response to the initial reports, simply issued a statement saying: “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 the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”
Potential sanctions for City range from a mere reprimand, through financial fines, to points deductions or potentially even Premier League expulsion. They could also be retroactively stripped of any or all of the trophies won during the aforementioned seasons.
The charges were first laid after German publication Der Spiegel published internal financial documents from City in late 2018, following which both the league and UEFA started their own investigations.
During the time that the alleged financial breaches happened, City won a multitude of major trophies – including the Premier League on three occasions, the FA Cup twice, and the League Cup four times.
The most common offence listed in the Premier League's charges was failing to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information to the league during the nine years in question – City have been charged 54 times with that particular offence.
There were also 35 charges related to the club failing to co-operate with the league's subsequent investigations, covering the 2018-23 period.
In terms of previous run-ins with the soccer authorities, they were first found guilty of breaking financial rules by UEFA in May 2014, and were fined €49 million ($55 million), as well as having a transfer cap imposed.
Then, in 2020, they were fined another €30 million by UEFA for having "overstated [their] sponsorship revenue" in disclosing financial information to UEFA between 2012 and 2016 – only for this punishment to be overturned at the Swiss Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Regarding Premier League commentary on the matter, the league's chief executive Richard Masters said in mid-2025: "It's an independent judiciary essentially. They are then in charge of the process and its timings. They hear the case, they decide the outcome and we have no influence over it or its timing.
“My frustration is irrelevant really, I just have to wait. Legal processes rarely take less time than you anticipated. But we have to be patient.”
Since the process began, both sides have spent tens of millions in legal fees.
It has also been reported that other Premier League teams have now been informed that a decision in this case has been made.
Aside from any potential punishment against City meted out by the league itself, there is also a strong possibility that any club or entity which feels City gained a material advantage through breaking these financial rules could attempt to bring legal proceedings against them as well.
Conrad Wiacek, lead analyst at GlobalData Sport, examines the wide-ranging impact of the expected verdict, saying: "Manchester City being reportedly found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges that were levelled at them by the Premier League is seismic – both for the league and for English soccer as a whole. Given that the elite team in England over the course of the last decade has effectively been found guilty of cheating, with their punishment yet to be decided, the long-term impact of this will likely be significant.
"When compared to second-tier club Southampton, who were found guilty of spying on opponents ahead of games and were kicked out of the post-season English Football League playoffs, missing a chance to ascend to the EPL, City's crimes are of a magnitude significantly worse.
"City's alleged actions have effectively called into question the integrity of the league – affecting TV deals, sponsorship agreements and will likely have all manner of commercial repercussions for the league and English soccer. There could be yet further legal action from teams, players and managers who have been impacted by the scale of City's actions, while European teams and UEFA may feel emboldened to begin proceedings as well.
"While the process has been long thus far, it is likely that this is only the beginning, with the scale of the punishment likely to be the next focus, and significant legal fallout to follow."
