Sky Sports News senior reporter Kaveh Solhekol breaks down the Premier League’s recent charges against Manchester City, the investigative background, and the range of possible penalties, noting that the case appears to be moving toward an appeal stage. According to circulating reports, an independent tribunal has already rendered decisions on the 115 alleged infringements lodged against Manchester City.
The consensus among those reports is that the majority of the accusations have been substantiated, and the matter is now progressing to the appeal phase. The Premier League has declined to comment publicly, describing the proceedings as a private and confidential matter and indicating that no guidance will be offered at this stage. A spokesperson for Manchester City reiterated the club’s stance, saying: "The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC's position remains consistent with the club's statement of February 2023.
The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair‑minded regulator, free from partisan influence." Manchester City face accusations of breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations over a nine‑year span, from 2009 through 2018, as well as allegations of failing to cooperate fully with the Premier League’s financial investigations. When the league announced the charges in 2023, the press release listed 115 alleged breaches, though some sources suggest the true count could be as high as 130. During the period under scrutiny, City, who deny every allegation, secured three Premier League titles.
The FFP framework is intended to ensure clubs operate within their means, essentially requiring them to spend no more than they earn. Clubs can circumvent this by inflating revenue streams or concealing expenditures, tactics that would artificially boost the profit and sustainability calculations used by the league.
The Premier League alleges that City systematically provided inaccurate financial data across nine seasons, including the failure to fully disclose the remuneration paid to one of their managers over a four‑year period. The suggestion is that a secret contract existed, paying the manager significantly more than the publicly reported figure. In addition, the league claims City did not adhere to UEFA’s FFP rules for a five‑year window.
The first public revelations of these alleged breaches emerged from a series of 2018 Der Spiegel articles that relied on emails obtained by convicted Portuguese hacker Rui Pinto and subsequently published on the Football Leaks website. Those disclosures triggered a UEFA investigation in 2019, followed by a parallel Premier League inquiry. In February 2020, UEFA found City guilty of violating its FFP rules, imposing a two‑year ban from European competition and a €30 million fine.
However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the ban five months later and reduced the fine to €10 million, stating that City had shown "blatant disregard of UEFA's investigative process" but clearing them of "disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions." CAS also noted that many of the alleged breaches were either unproven or fell outside the five‑year statutory window for UEFA prosecutions. City hailed the CAS decision as validation of their position and of the evidence they had presented. Unlike UEFA, the Premier League imposes no statutory limitation period on investigations, which is why it has pursued alleged infractions dating back to 2009.
When the Premier League formally charged City in February 2023, the club expressed surprise and insisted that a "comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence" supported their defence. The subsequent hearing, which ran from 16 September to 6 December 2024, lasted twelve weeks and was conducted before a three‑person independent commission at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London. Given the volume of charges—over a hundred—and the complexity of the financial data, the interval between the hearing and the final judgment was always expected to be lengthy. Should the commission rule against City, it possesses broad discretion to impose any sanction it deems appropriate under Premier League rules.
Potential penalties range from points deductions and hefty fines to the extreme measure of expulsion from the league. The Premier League deliberately avoids publishing a fixed sanctions matrix for financial breaches, fearing that clubs would game the system if they knew exactly what punishment awaited specific violations.
In February 2025, Richard Masters indicated that the league was considering a "sanctions grid" to standardise punishments, but no such framework has yet been adopted. Recent precedents illustrate the variety of possible outcomes. Everton suffered a six‑point deduction, later increased by two points, for Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) breaches in the 2023/24 season.
Nottingham Forest incurred a four‑point penalty the same year. In the lower tiers, Luton Town were stripped of 30 points in 2008/09 for illegal agent payments and improper exit from administration, while Derby County lost 21 points in 2021/22 for a combination of administration and financial irregularities. If any of the alleged breaches are upheld, it is highly probable that City will lodge an appeal.
In 2014, chairman Khaldoon al‑Mubarak famously declared he would rather spend £30 million on the world’s top 50 lawyers and litigate against UEFA for a decade than accept a financial penalty for alleged FFP violations. Both parties have a 14‑day window to appeal a commission judgment. An appeal would be heard by a newly appointed three‑person commission, with grounds for appeal including fraud, misconduct, or gross unfairness by the original arbitrator. Notably, City cannot take the case to CAS.
Premier League appeal procedures are set out in Section W of the league’s rules. The Appeal Board, appointed by Sir Gary Hickinbottom, the chair of the independent judicial panel, must comprise three members, at least one of whom must have held a judicial office.
The board operates confidentially and holds full discretion to uphold, overturn, or modify the original decision, including the possibility of varying any orders issued by the initial commission. In summary, Manchester City face a sprawling set of financial accusations that could lead to severe consequences, ranging from points deductions to potential expulsion. The outcome remains uncertain, and an appeal is almost certainly on the horizon, ensuring that the saga will continue to dominate football headlines for months to come.