After more than two years of waiting, one of the biggest cases in Premier League history appears to have reached a decisive turning point, after reports indicated that a decision has been reached on the 115 charges brought against Manchester City over alleged financial rule violations.
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The case, which began with a four-year investigation before charges were officially brought against City in February 2023, entered its hearing phase on September 16, 2024, amid enormous anticipation over the unprecedented repercussions it could bring.
According to reports, a decision has indeed been reached, after a report published by The Athletic stated that Manchester City was found guilty of the majority of the charges against it.
But the decision doesn't mean the case has reached its end, as there remain important legal and procedural stages, alongside waiting for the official announcement of the verdict and penalties, and the possibility of both sides entering a fresh appeal battle.
What are the 115 charges?
The alleged violations date back to the period between 2009 and 2018, spread across five main categories.
City faces 54 charges related to failing to provide accurate financial information between the 2009-2010 and 2017-2018 seasons, and 14 charges of failing to provide accurate details regarding payments to players and coaches during the same period.
The case also includes five charges of failing to comply with UEFA rules, including Financial Fair Play rules, and seven charges of violating the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability rules, in addition to 35 charges of failing to cooperate with the league's investigations between December 2018 and February 2023.
For its part, Manchester City has consistently denied committing any violations.
How did the story begin?
The roots of the case can be traced back to November 2018, when the German magazine Der Spiegel published leaked documents as part of the "Football Leaks" project, containing emails said to have been exchanged between senior Manchester City officials.
Reports alleged that the documents showed inflated sponsorship revenue from Etihad Airways and Etisalat, through routing investments from the Abu Dhabi United Group and presenting them as sponsorship revenue.
The alleged purpose of this, according to the claims, was to help the club comply with the loss limits imposed by UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules, and later the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability rules.
Other allegations also emerged related to inaccurate financial information, including secret payments to former coach Roberto Mancini through consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi, in addition to claims that players received amounts exceeding those officially recorded in the club's accounts.
City rejected these claims, affirming that the emails were obtained illegally and that their publication was an attempt to damage the club's reputation.
But the leaks prompted UEFA and the Premier League to open investigations.
Eight years of legal battles
In March 2019, UEFA opened a formal investigation, before announcing in February 2020 that Manchester City would be banned from European competitions for two years and fined €30 million.
But the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the ban after the club's appeal in July of that same year.
At the same time, the Premier League's investigation continued, culminating in February 2023 when 115 charges were brought against the club.
Hearings in the case began in September 2024 and lasted around ten weeks, before reports emerged in September 2026 indicating that the independent commission had reached a decision.
What penalties could City face?
This is the most important point, but it remains unresolved.
The decision on guilt wasn't necessarily expected to include penalties directly, so there could be additional waiting before knowing the club's final fate.
The disciplinary commission has a wide range of options, including imposing financial fines, or immediate or suspended points deductions, up to the harshest penalty, expelling Manchester City from the Premier League.
Should the club's league membership be revoked, that would mean relegation to a lower tier at the end of the season. A sufficiently large points deduction could theoretically lead to the same outcome.
City stands firm
The Premier League declined to comment on the case, while Manchester City issued a statement expressing its dissatisfaction with the leak of news about the decision before the official announcement.
The club affirmed that proceedings are still ongoing and that important elements have not yet been completed, stressing its commitment to the position it has held since the charges were brought in 2023.
City is expected to appeal any penalties issued against it, especially since its legal team is led by Lord David Pannick, who played a prominent role in the club's success in overturning its European competition ban in 2020.
However, it's difficult to determine how long the appeal stage might take, especially since the case has already stretched on for years.
Appealing the commission's decision will also fall within the Premier League's legal framework, and Manchester City will not be able to turn to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in this case.
What about Manchester City's titles?
Among the most intriguing questions: could the titles the club won during the period covered by the charges be affected?
Manchester City won the Premier League three times during the period in question, in the 2011-2012, 2013-2014, and 2017-2018 seasons.
It also won the FA Cup in 2011, and the League Cup three times, in the 2013-2014, 2015-2016, and 2017-2018 seasons.
Should a decision be made to redistribute titles, Manchester United finished runner-up to City in the league in the 2011-2012 and 2017-2018 seasons, while Liverpool finished second in the 2013-2014 season.
However, the report doesn't confirm that stripping titles or awarding them to other clubs has been decided, so this scenario remains among the possibilities raised, not a settled outcome.
Will clubs seek compensation?
The repercussions may not be limited to sporting penalties, as Premier League clubs have already sought legal advice regarding the possibility of claiming financial compensation if it's established that City's violations affected their standings or their chances of winning titles.
A club could argue, for example, that it lost the chance to win a title or earn financial returns because of the violations, with each claim considered independently before a specialized panel.
There is a recent precedent that could encourage clubs to do so, after Everton was ordered to pay £35 million to Burnley over the impact of financial violations in the 2021-2022 season, including £26 million in compensation and £9 million in interest.
A case different from Everton and Nottingham Forest
Despite comparisons to the cases of Everton and Nottingham Forest, who were docked points over violations of Profitability and Sustainability rules, City's case is far more complex.
Those two previous cases each involved a single violation and a far smaller amount of evidence, while Manchester City's file includes dozens of charges spanning years, covering the nature of financial information, payments, and cooperation with investigations.
The case also differs from Chelsea's file, which faced 74 charges centered mainly on past transfers and deals. Chelsea acknowledged secret payments worth £47 million and reached a settlement with the Premier League, while Manchester City has continued to deny committing any violations.
Despite talk of a decision being reached, the case that has shaken English football has not yet reached its final chapter.
The official announcement of the verdict, then the determination of possible penalties, and then the expected appeal, are all stages that could keep the file ongoing for a while longer.
What makes the case even more significant is that its potential repercussions don't concern Manchester City alone, but could extend to other clubs and to how the Premier League applies its financial rules in the future.
After years of investigations and tens of millions of pounds believed to have been spent on legal proceedings, English football now awaits the answer to enormous questions: what penalty will Manchester City face? Could its titles be affected? And will a wave of compensation claims from rival clubs begin?
Resource: Al-Ghad.
