Manchester City have been found guilty on all 115 charges of financial breaches, per a statement released by the Premier League on Tuesday. The investigation was done by an independent commission and determined that between the 2009-10 season and the 2017-18 season, City breached spending limits, had sham contracts, misstated their accounts, and did other things to make it seem as if their revenue was in line with Premier League spending limits. Despite all charges being proven by the league, what the sanctions will be is to be determined separately, and City has until Friday, Oct. 2, to appeal the independent commission's finding Former City manager Roberto Mancini alluded to having a double contract during his time with City, which included leading the club to their first league title in 2012.
Speaking in a press conference before Italy's UEFA Nations League match with Turkiye, Mancini maintained both his own and City's innocence. "It's not something new because every four or five years this comes up. Manchester City is not guilty, and the fact of having a double contract isn't my problem but theirs, probably," Mancini said.
The league announced the finding on Tuesday after news of the result of the inquiry first broke on Friday. "The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade," Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said.
"It also vindicates the Premier League's decision to pursue this case against Manchester City. While the process to date has been both long and difficult, the League has remained determined that the facts be established independently. "It is a key responsibility of the Premier League to ensure that the Rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition.
It is paramount that the League remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously. "This disciplinary case, and this decision, are the most significant in Premier League history.
There are elements of the case that remain to be decided, including, importantly, what sanction must follow for these breaches. Now we have the Commission's decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the League, our clubs and fans." The investigation began in 2018, before a complaint was issued to City in February of 2023. That was then followed by a 42-day hearing, which concluded in December of 2024, which the commission said was long than it would've liked to take, but given the scope of the case, one can understand why it was such a lengthy process.
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