Manchester City ‘guilty of 114 Premier League charges’

Findings of financial irregularities could send shock waves through English football if upheld on appeal

PUBLISHED : 25 Sep 2026 at 21:45

Manchester City have reportedly been found guilty of all but one of 115 English Premier League charges they faced for breaching financial regulations.

The report by The Athletic, an affiliate of the New York Times, added that no sanction had yet been decided and that the Premier League football team was preparing to appeal.

The outcome of an independent hearing that began more than two years ago could send shock waves through English football.

The legacy of City’s trophy-laden era is on the line over accusations it had been built on financial impropriety.

City were charged by the Premier League in 2023 following an investigation into alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018.

The club, who have always denied the allegations, were accused of failing to provide accurate financial information and details of payments to players and coaches, as well as breaches of financial sustainability rules.

Under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour, whose Abu Dhabi United Group acquired the club from former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2008, City have become the dominant force in English football.

They have won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups, seven League Cups and one Champions League in the past 15 years. (Story continues below)

Emails purporting to show inflated sponsorship revenue from the Abu Dhabi airline Etihad as income are among the evidence reviewed in the two-year investigation of Manchester City’s finances. (Photo: AFP)

First stirrings in 2018

The root of suspicion came from leaked documents first published by the German magazine Der Spiegel back in 2018.

Emails purportedly sent between top City executives showed the club had inflated sponsorship revenue from the Abu Dhabi state-controlled airline Etihad and the telecoms firm Etisalat by disguising direct investment from Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group as income.

Other documents claimed to show off-the-books payments to then manager Roberto Mancini via consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi.

If City are found guilty, sanctions are likely to include a severe points deduction and possibly even expulsion from the Premier League.

Everton and Nottingham Forest were both hit by points deductions in the 2023-24 season for single breaches of profit and sustainability rules.

A severe punishment would also raise doubts over the future of City’s cast of star players, including prolific striker Erling Haaland.

Other clubs could make a claim for titles to be stripped and compensation if City gained an unfair advantage by nefarious means.