Manchester City found guilty of majority of Premier League financial breaches charges, according to reports
By Thomas Schlachter, Patrick Sung Cuadrado, CNN
(CNN) — Manchester City has been found guilty of all but one of the many charges it faced in regards to breaching Premier League financial rules, according to multiple reports and first reported by David Ornstein at The Athletic.
According to reports, City has been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges it faced in an independent panel. No sanctions have been decided and the Manchester-based club is expected to appeal the decision, according to reports.
Possible sanctions against the club could be a points deduction, an unlimited fine, or even expulsion from the league entirely, according to the Premier League’s handbook.
CNN Sports has reached out to Manchester City and the Premier League for comment.
An outcome years in the making
While Premier League action has continued as normal on the pitch, the hearing and its potential findings have been bubbling away under the surface since the charges were announced in 2023.
The club was charged in February of that year after a four-year investigation, with the Premier League alleging that Manchester City failed to provide accurate financial information between the 2009-10 season and the 2017-18 season.
The league also accused City of failing to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) regulations between 2013-14 and 2017-18 and failing to follow Premier League rules on profit and sustainability between 2015-16 and 2017-18.
The hearing eventually started in September 2024 and carried on until the end of that year.
At the time, former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he was happy the hearing was finally starting and the matter would be settled.
“I am happy that it starts on Monday,” Guardiola said in a press conference. “I know there will be more rumors and new specialists about the sentences will come up. We are going to see. I know what people are looking for, I know what they are expecting.”
Guardiola continued: “Everybody is innocent until guilt is proven. An independent panel will decide, and I’m looking forward to the decision.”
This was also not the first time that Manchester City had faced allegations over financial misconduct.
In 2020, the club was initially banned from European soccer for two seasons for “serious breaches” of FFP regulations. The ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which also reduced the accompanying $34 million fine to $11.3 million, ruling that City had failed to cooperate with UEFA.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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