An independent commission confirmed the charges against the club for events that occurred between 2009/10 and 2017/18 and for its lack of cooperation during the investigation. Possible sanctions will be defined in a later hearing
Another aspect analyzed was related to the cooperation of the club during the investigation, which lasted four years. Of the four breaches that had been raised by the League in this regard, the commission confirmed three and considered that City took actions aimed at "stopping and obstructing" the procedure.
After years of investigation, the Premier League announced the conclusions of the process against Manchester City for alleged financial irregularities. The independent commission in charge of the case determined that the club committed the 115 charges related to the economic regulations of the competition over nine seasons and also confirmed the majority of the accusations related to its cooperation during the procedure.
Among the main conclusions is the use of commercial agreements deemed fictitious. According to the commission, City allegedly used contracts that did not reflect the true terms of some relationships with its sponsors to artificially inflate its revenue and reduce its costs.
The body also determined that part of those agreements may have been financed by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), the club's owner. According to the resolution, the scheme allowed for the recording of income and expenses different from the actual and exceeded a sum of 900 million pounds during the investigated period.
As a consequence of these maneuvers, the commission established that the Citizen team presented incorrect accounts and concealed information about its true financial situation from both auditors and football regulatory bodies. In this regard, it concluded that "with its conduct, the club had the clear intention of evading the rules of the Premier League". The resolution also noted that, had all agreements been reported correctly, the institution would have significantly breached the spending limits set by the English league and UEFA.
According to what was established by the Premier League, among the possible sanctions that could be considered are financial fines, a points deduction, loss of titles, and even expulsion from the competition. However, none of these measures have been confirmed so far and will depend on the resolution adopted in a future hearing before the same independent commission. According to the competition rules, this process will be private and confidential until its resolution can be published.
For its part, Manchester City rejected the conclusions and announced that it will appeal. The club stated that it is "disappointed and surprised" by the ruling and maintained that it is innocent of the accusations. In a statement, the institution affirmed: "The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and there is a wide array of irrefutable evidence supporting all its positions regarding this case".
Furthermore, City questioned the legal validity of the ruling and anticipated that it would resort to the relevant instances. "The opinion contains evident material errors, both of law and of principles and of fact, and is therefore insecure", stated the club.
The institution also emphasized that the procedure is not yet over and that there are pending stages before a definitive resolution on the consequences exists. To appeal the conclusions of the independent commission, the Sky Blue team has until Friday, October 2.
