The Manchester City 115 charges verdict has finally been delivered, with an independent commission finding the club guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League. The findings cover nine seasons from 2009/10 to 2017/18 and could now lead to sanctions affecting Manchester City’s future and potentially its past achievements.
The commission found that City used “sham” commercial contracts to artificially increase revenues and reduce costs by more than £900 million. It also found that the club submitted misstated accounts and breached its obligations to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation.
Manchester City denies wrongdoing and says it will appeal the decision by the October 2 deadline.
What The Manchester City Verdict Found
The Manchester City financial rules case centres on how the club reported its finances during a period when it developed into one of Europe’s most successful teams.
According to the commission, the disputed arrangements allowed City to appear compliant with Premier League and UEFA spending rules when the underlying finances did not meet those requirements. The Premier League said the club was significantly in breach of both sets of spending limits.
Three of four charges relating to City’s failure to cooperate with the investigation were also upheld. The league said the club made efforts to frustrate the investigation, while the commission found that some important evidence provided by City witnesses was false.
City has strongly rejected the findings, saying the decision contains material errors of law, principle and fact.
Why The Verdict Could Affect City’s Trophies
The biggest question now is not simply will Manchester City be relegated, but whether the club’s punishment could reach back into its most successful years.
No sanction has been imposed yet. The Premier League says the punishment will be decided separately by the independent commission. Possible sporting sanctions include points deductions and other penalties, while a sufficiently large deduction could result in relegation. Expulsion from the Premier League is also among the issues being discussed around the case.
The possibility of retrospective action has also sparked debate about City’s titles won during the period covered by the investigation. Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane said the medals should be discarded, telling ITV Sport: “If I was a player, I’d be 100% sticking those medals in the bin. Of course you would, it’s cheating.”
Wayne Rooney has taken a different view, arguing that stripping players of titles would be unfair because the players themselves may not have known about the alleged financial conduct.
Carragher And Pinto Add To The Fallout
The verdict has also reopened arguments about the credibility of the investigation and the people who first brought City’s finances into wider public view.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said: “Until they [the owners] move away from the club, I don’t know how I can see how this stain is ever removed from the club.”
Rui Pinto, whose Football Leaks disclosures helped trigger investigations into Manchester City’s finances, also reacted to the ruling. In a statement cited after the verdict, he said the decision confirmed what his leaked material had revealed and accused City executives of challenging football’s regulatory system.
His comments are part of the wider reaction to a case that began attracting major attention years ago after Football Leaks documents were published.
What Happens Next For Manchester City?
The immediate deadline is Friday, October 2, when City must lodge an appeal against the findings. The appeal would be heard by a new three-person commission. The separate sanctions process will then determine what punishment, if any, follows the guilty verdict.
For now, City’s titles have not been stripped, the club has not been relegated and no sporting sanction has been imposed. Those decisions remain part of the next stage of the process.
The case therefore moves from establishing what happened to determining what consequences should follow, with the appeal likely to keep the dispute alive for some time.
