UAE-owned Manchester City guilty of massive, yearslong breach of Premier League financial rules
Dominant soccer team set to appeal after independent commission determines that it failed to provide accurate financial info of payments to players and coaches
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MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of 115 Premier League charges the soccer club faces for breaching financial regulations, the Athletic reported on Friday.
The report added that no sanction had yet been decided and that City is set to appeal.
The outcome of an independent hearing that began more than two years ago could send shock waves through English soccer.
The legacy of City’s trophy-laden era is on the line over accusations that it had been built on financial impropriety.
City was charged by the Premier League in 2023 following an investigation into alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018.
The club, which has always denied the allegations, was accused of failing to provide accurate financial information and details of payments to players and coaches, as well as breaches of financial sustainability rules.
Manchester City is owned by City Football Group, which is majority-controlled by the Abu Dhabi United Group — the private investment vehicle of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister and vice president of the UAE, who bought the club in September 2008 for around £200 million.
Under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour, City have become the dominant force in English soccer.
It has won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups, seven League Cups and one Champions League in the past 15 years.
The root of suspicion came from leaked documents published by German outlet Der Spiegel back in 2018.
Emails purportedly sent between top City executives showed the club had inflated sponsorship revenue from Abu Dhabi state-controlled airline Etihad and telecoms firm Etisalat by disguising direct investment from Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group as income.
Other documents claimed to show off-the-books payments to then manager Roberto Mancini via consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi.
If City are found guilty, sanctions are likely to include a severe points deduction and possible suspension from the Premier League. A worst-case punishment could potentially involve expulsion from the league. The case is unprecedented in scale, and therefore potential punishment is difficult to assess.
Everton and Nottingham Forest were both hit by points deductions in the 2023/24 season for single breaches of profit and sustainability rules.
A severe punishment would also raise doubts over the future of City’s cast of star players, including prolific striker Erling Haaland.
Other clubs could make a claim for titles to be stripped and compensation if City gained an unfair advantage by nefarious means.
Times of Israel contributed to this report.
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