Manchester City’s long-running financial case has reached another major stage, with reports that an independent commission has found the club guilty of 114 of the 115 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules. The Premier League has not publicly confirmed the reported verdict, saying the process is confidential, while Manchester City says the case remains ongoing and is expected to proceed to an appeal stage.
The case dates back to allegations that emerged publicly in 2018 and has involved investigations by UEFA and the Premier League, legal proceedings and a 12-week hearing before an independent commission.
Here is a timeline of the major developments.
November 2018: German publication Der Spiegel published reports based on Football Leaks documents alleging that Manchester City had breached UEFA financial regulations, including allegations concerning sponsorship income and financial reporting. City disputed the reports and questioned the circumstances surrounding the publication of internal documents.
March 2019: UEFA and the Premier League began investigations into allegations concerning Manchester City’s finances following the Football Leaks reports.
February 2020: UEFA imposed a two-season ban from European competitions and a €30 million fine on City after finding serious breaches of its Financial Fair Play regulations. The club appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
July 2020: CAS overturned the two-year European ban and reduced the financial penalty to €10 million. The arbitration panel said several allegations had not been established or were time-barred, while it upheld a finding that City had failed to cooperate properly with UEFA’s investigation.
February 6, 2023: The Premier League referred Manchester City to an independent commission over 115 alleged breaches of its financial rules. The allegations covered areas including financial reporting, sponsorship revenue, player and manager remuneration, UEFA regulations, the league’s profitability and sustainability rules, and cooperation with the Premier League investigation.
Manchester City denied the allegations and said it welcomed the opportunity for an independent commission to examine what it described as evidence supporting the club’s position.
May 2023: Pep Guardiola called for the case to be resolved quickly, saying that a prompt conclusion would benefit everyone involved.
September 16, 2024: The hearing before the independent commission began in London. The proceedings were conducted privately before a three-person commission and were expected to last several weeks because of the number and complexity of the allegations.
December 6, 2024: The hearing concluded, with the independent commission beginning its consideration of the evidence and arguments presented by both sides.
February 2025: Guardiola said he expected a verdict within about a month, although no decision was subsequently announced at that time.
August 2025: Premier League chief executive Richard Masters acknowledged that the process was taking longer than anticipated and said the league had no influence over when the independent commission would issue its decision.
August 18, 2026: Masters again acknowledged frustration over the length of time taken to reach a decision, saying the process had lasted longer than expected.
September 25, 2026: Reports by The Athletic and The Times said the independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of 114 of the 115 alleged breaches. Reuters reported the same development while stressing that the Premier League had declined to comment because the process is confidential.
Manchester City told the BBC that the Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements still to be completed. Sky Sports reported that the case is moving towards an appeal stage.
The reported decision does not, by itself, establish what punishment Manchester City will receive. Under the Premier League’s disciplinary framework, possible sanctions can include a financial penalty, points deduction or other measures, but no final punishment has been publicly announced in connection with the reported verdict.
The case therefore remains unresolved from a public and procedural standpoint. The reported findings are subject to the next stages of the process, including any appeal, while the Premier League and Manchester City continue to observe confidentiality requirements.