Football: Manchester City found guilty of 115 financial breaches – the spectre of exclusion looms
An earthquake in the Premier League. Eight years of investigations, 115 charges, a ruling set to leave its mark on the Premier League: Manchester City has been found guilty of most of the financial breaches alleged by the English league. According to reports by the BBC and The Athletic, the independent panel has upheld almost all the charges, whilst the sanctions have yet to be decided. This case could mark the beginning of a new, very long legal battle.
The case began in 2018, when Football Leaks – the website set up by the Portuguese Rui Pinto – revealed confidential documents relating to City and other key figures in international football. Pinto, who has been convicted in Portugal and France, is regarded by some as a hacker and by others as a whistleblower. In November 2018, the German magazine *Der Spiegel* published the first revelations about the club’s alleged financial manoeuvres, prompting an investigation by UEFA and, subsequently, by the Premier League.
In February 2023, the league accused City of 115 breaches committed between 2009 and 2018. The allegations include 54 breaches relating to the alleged failure to provide accurate financial information, 14 concerning payments to players and managers, five relating to UEFA regulations and Financial Fair Play, seven concerning the Premier League’s financial sustainability rules, and 35 concerning a failure to cooperate with the league’s investigation between 2018 and 2023. The hearing, which began in September 2024, lasted ten weeks behind closed doors.
City has always rejected all allegations. Yesterday, too, the club clarified in a press release that the proceedings “are still ongoing”, emphasising that “significant elements” remain to be finalised and that the matter is subject to strict confidentiality. The club has also maintained that it has complied with due process for eight years, placing its trust in an “independent, impartial and balanced” authority. Should the club lose the case, City has already made it clear that it is prepared to appeal. Potentially severe sanctions are now on the table: a fine, a points deduction, or even relegation or, in the most extreme cases, expulsion from the Premier League.
Legal disputes could also arise from other clubs that believe they have been harmed by the alleged breaches. This case follows a previous one initiated by UEFA: in 2020, City were banned from European competitions for two years and fined €30 million for breaches of Financial Fair Play rules. The CAS subsequently overturned the ban, ruling that most of the allegations were either unproven or time-barred, and reduced the fine to €10 million due to the club’s lack of cooperation. Meanwhile, the other Premier League clubs have been informed of the decision regarding the City case. They are waiting to understand one thing above all: what the sporting cost will be of eight years of football under scrutiny.
