MANCHESTER: Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, the Athletic and The Times reported on Friday.
The club are expected to appeal, the reports added. The Premier League declined to comment.
‘Its a confidential process, we’re not commenting at all,’ a spokesperson said.
City maintained the case had notyetbeen concluded.
‘The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality,’ the club said in a statement to British media.
‘As such Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the club’s statement of February 2023.
‘The club has diligently respected due processfor 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.
If confirmed, the guilty verdict would represent one of the most significant rulings in English football history and mark a major development in a case that has overshadowed the league for more than three years.
The proceedings have raised questions about financial regulation, competitive integrity and how the league enforces its rules against its most successful clubs.
The Premier League referred City to an independent commission in February 2023 over alleged breaches of financial rules spanning the 2009-10 to 2022-23 seasons. The club have consistently denied wrongdoing.
Among the most serious allegations was that City failed in each season from 2009-10 to 2017-18 to provide accurate financial information giving a ‘true and fair view’ of revenues, including sponsorship income, and operating costs.
City hired lawyer David Pannick to lead their defence, while the Premier League was represented by Adam Lewis KC, according to British media reports.
The hearing began on Sept 16, 2024, and concluded on Dec 6. The case was heard by an independent commission composed of three people appointed by the independent chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel.
City were banned from the Champions League for two years by UEFA in 2020 after being found to have overstated sponsorship revenue between 2012 and 2016. The club, however, successfully appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which overturned the ban.
Since Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group bought the club in 2008, City have won eight Premier League titles, the Champions League, four FA Cups and seven League Cups.-Reuters