Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 out of 115 Premier League financial rule breaches, a verdict that has put years of league finishes, European places and prize money under fresh scrutiny. The independent commission delivered its decision on 25 September 2026, after a four-year investigation into the club’s financial conduct between 2009 and 2018.
The case reaches beyond the club’s own punishment. Other Premier League clubs have sought legal advice on whether Manchester City’s offences could entitle them to financial compensation, with missed Champions League qualification, relegation and Premier League prize money among the potential effects on rivals.
The commission found that Manchester City had inflated sponsorship income by £830 million and another £90 million in expenses through “sham contracts” involving connected companies. It described the Abu Dhabi money flowing into the club as a “disguised funding scheme”.
The 114 proven charges include failures to provide accurate financial and remuneration information, breaches of UEFA financial fair play regulations and Premier League profit and sustainability rules, and failures to cooperate with the investigation. The club also used undisclosed “off the books” payments to get around financial rules, the findings said.
Manchester City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023. The club failed to work with the league’s investigation into its finances, according to the case against it.
Manchester City deny wrongdoing and have appealed the guilty verdict. The outcome of that appeal, the eventual sanction and any compensation claims remain unresolved.
The disputed period covers a transformation in Manchester City’s standing. Sheikh Mansour bought the club in 2008. Before that purchase, its best finish since fifth place in 1991-92 had been eighth in 2004-05.
After finishing fifth in 2009-10, Manchester City have not once finished outside the Premier League’s top four. Between 2009 and 2018, they won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and three EFL Cups.
In the same era, Manchester City’s sponsorship revenue rose from a level comparable with Stoke City in 2008-09 to one that eventually exceeded Manchester United’s.
For the clubs immediately behind them, the stakes were tangible. Manchester United finished second in 2011/12 and 2017/18, while Liverpool were runners-up in 2013/14.
The Premier League could impose a points deduction, expel Manchester City from the competition or levy a huge fine. A 39-point deduction would have relegated City in the last season in which they finished second on 78 points.
Compensation claims already have a recent precedent within the league. In June, Everton were told to pay Burnley £35m after breaking profit and sustainability regulations, following Burnley’s argument that the breach had affected its prospects of staying in the Premier League.
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