🗳️ Big punishment or slap on the wrist?
If the findings survive the appeal, what should City get?
BonusWill the guilty findings survive City's appeal?
⏱️ Where it stands (28 Oct 2026)
Verified Facts in this section come from the Premier League, the club, the published decision or named news outlets. Each one has a dated source.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| Dec 2018 | The Premier League opens its investigation.3 |
| 6 Feb 2023 | The League refers alleged breaches covering 2009/10 to 2017/18, plus a lack of co-operation from December 2018, to an independent commission.1 City say they're “surprised” and point to “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence”.5 |
| 16 Sep – 6 Dec 2024 | The hearing runs for 42 days.34 |
| 25 Sep 2026 | The Athletic, then BBC Sport and the Guardian, report that City have been found guilty of most charges.29 |
| 29 Sep 2026 | The League publishes a redacted “Core Decision”. City are found guilty of all charges about serious breaches of the financial rules, and of three of the four co-operation charges.3 City say they're “disappointed and surprised” and “innocent of the accusations”.5 |
| 1–2 Oct 2026 | City lodge an appeal at 7pm on 1 October. The League confirms it on 2 October.67 The FA says the verdict has “significant implications for the integrity of the game”.8 |
| By ~24 Dec 2026 | Deadline under the rules, not a fixed date: the appeal hearing should finish within 12 weeks of the appeal being lodged. A decision should follow within 30 days. The rule was added only this year and can be disapplied.814 |
| 28 Oct 2026 | No appeal hearing date or sanction has been made public. We searched up to 28 Oct 2026 and found neither. |
📋 The charge sheet
The Premier League's February 2023 statement lists five groups of rules.1 BBC Sport's count of 115 breaks down like this:2
| Category | Charges | Period | Commission's finding (29 Sep 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate financial informationrevenue, sponsorship, related parties, costs | 54 | 2009/10 – 2017/18 | Proven “Sham” sponsorship and cost deals. Misstated accounts.3 |
| Manager & player payfull details in contracts | 14 | Managers 2009/10 – 2012/13; players 2010/11 – 2015/161 | Proven Included in “all charges related to serious breaches” of the financial rules.3 |
| UEFA rules, incl. Financial Fair Play | 5 | 2013/14 – 2017/18 | Proven City would have broken UEFA's limits “by a very substantial amount”.3 |
| Premier League Profitability & Sustainability (PSR) | 7 | 2015/16 – 2017/18 | Proven Same finding for the League's limits.3 |
| Co-operating with the investigationin “utmost good faith” | 35 | Dec 2018 – Feb 2023 | Mostly proven Three of four alleged breaches upheld. Charge 4(B) was not proven.34 |
| Total | 115 | 2009 – 2023 | Widely reported as guilty on “114 of the 115”.8 |
Why do people say 115, 114, 130 or 134?
- 115 is the most widely used tally (BBC, Sky and others).2
- “More than 130” and 134 are the Guardian's counts of the same case.109 We couldn't find how the Guardian counts them.
- The commission itself grouped the case into four charges, with sub-charges 1(A)–1(D) and 4(A)–4(D). It called them “well over 100 individual breaches”.4
- 114 is shorthand for “all but one”. The commission upheld Charge 4(A) “in the majority of the respects” alleged, and found 4(B) not proven.4
🔎 What the commission found
Verified These are the findings as the Premier League summarised them on 29 Sep 2026.3 They are under appeal, and City deny wrongdoing.6
- From 2009/10 to 2017/18, City arranged “sham” contracts with some commercial partners. Sponsors paid part of the fee and the club's then owner, ADUG, funded the rest.
- The schemes inflated revenue and cut recorded costs by more than £900 million. The redacted decision puts the overstated income alone at “over £830 million”.4
- City filed misstated accounts and hid its true finances from auditors and regulators.
- Had the deals been reported properly, City would have broken both Premier League and UEFA spending limits “by a very substantial amount”.
- City “made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the PL investigation”.
City's response: the opinion “contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe”.56 BBC Sport's sources say City are expected to argue the disputed sponsorship money came from the Abu Dhabi government, not the owners.8
📁 The other cases
UEFA ban, overturned (2020)
In February 2020 UEFA banned City from European competitions for two years and fined them €30m.
On 13 July 2020 the Court of Arbitration for Sport lifted the ban and cut the fine to €10m. It found most alleged breaches “either not established or time-barred”, but said City had failed to co-operate.12 The BBC also notes an earlier UEFA fine in 2014.12
Sponsorship (APT) rules fight (2024–25)
City challenged the League's associated party transaction rules. In October 2024 an arbitration panel found parts of them unlawful.1011
City then challenged the amended rules. On 8 Sep 2025 both sides settled, and City accepted the current rules are “valid and binding”. Neither side suggested this would affect the 115-charges case.1011
New fronts (Oct 2026)
The FA says it “will take action where appropriate”.8 The Financial Reporting Council is making “preliminary enquiries” about City's accounts.18
The Independent Football Regulator's chair says it has “absolute power” to force a sale, but won't decide anything until the appeal is over.18 None of these processes has reached a finding.
⚖️ What the punishment could be
Verified What the rules say
- The same three-person commission sets the sanction at a separate private hearing.313
- The commission has “broad discretion”. Its options include “fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions”.3
- Rule W.64 runs from a reprimand to an unlimited fine, a points deduction or expulsion, or “such other penalty as it shall think fit”.15
- Expulsion would need ratifying by the clubs: at least 15 of the 20 must vote yes.1513
- The Appeal Board can allow or dismiss the appeal, or vary the decision.7 Either side can appeal the sanction later.13
- Stripping titles isn't named in the summaries we read. The BBC has set out which clubs would gain if titles were reassigned.2
Speculation What pundits & experts say
- ESPN (Mark Ogden, citing sources): a fine “could be as high as £500 million”. The “clean option” would be a deduction of “at least 60 points” to make relegation certain.15
- Kieran Maguire (football finance academic): any deduction “has to be multiple double figures of points”. Fines, claims and costs could top “a billion pounds”.20
- Sky Sports (Kaveh Solhekol): “most legal experts expect City to lose the appeal”, and City may then go to the High Court.13
- James Severn (lawyer, Penningtons Manches Cooper): City face “substantial hurdles” and must show a material error. A final outcome “may not be known for some time”.16
- Expulsion is widely discussed but contested. Maguire warned that expelling City before the appeal is decided would be “a dangerous route to go down”.20
The opinions on the right are forecasts, not findings. Nobody outside the process knows what the commission will decide.
💥 Who feels it
🏃 Players
The charged seasons ended in 2018, so most of today's squad wasn't there. Defender Marc Guéhi says “everyone's definitely together in this”.20 Any points deduction would come off a current or future season's total. City were top of the table in mid-October.17
💷 Finances
Beyond any fine, there's the cost of a possible relegation and lost Champions League money. Rival clubs could also claim compensation: BBC Sport says some have sought legal advice.2 For comparison, Everton were told to pay Burnley £35m over a single PSR breach.2
🏟️ Other clubs
BBC Sport estimates that the other top-flight clubs may have lost up to £844m in prize money from 2009 to 2018. The BBC says the figure is “about chance”, not a compensation claim.19 If titles were reassigned, the BBC lists Manchester United (2011/12, 2017/18) and Liverpool (2013/14).2
🇦🇺 Watching from Australia
Where to watch: Stan Sport holds the Premier League's Australian rights for 2025/26 to 2027/28.21 Optus Sport no longer does, and Stan's site invites former Optus Sport subscribers to switch.22
The Melbourne link: City Football Group owns both Manchester City and A-League side Melbourne City. Melbourne City joined CFG in 2014 and has been wholly owned since then.23 The Premier League case is against Manchester City FC only, and Melbourne City isn't a party.
Late nights ahead: City's next matches in Australian time, converted from UK kick-off times:2425
| Match | Brisbane (AEST) | Syd / Melb (AEDT) | Perth (AWST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man City v Brighton | Sun 1 Nov, 1:00am | Sun 1 Nov, 2:00am | Sat 31 Oct, 11:00pm |
| Nott'm Forest v Man City | Sun 8 Nov, 3:30am | Sun 8 Nov, 4:30am | Sun 8 Nov, 1:30am |
| Man City v Fulham | Sat 21 Nov, 10:30pm | Sat 21 Nov, 11:30pm | Sat 21 Nov, 8:30pm |
| Arsenal v Man City | Mon 30 Nov, 2:30am | Mon 30 Nov, 3:30am | Mon 30 Nov, 12:30am |
Fixtures can move for TV and cup games. Check Stan Sport or the club before you set an alarm.
🥊 Make the case
📚 Big punishment, because…
- The commission found the breaches were deliberate. It said City “clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules”.3
- The findings cover nine seasons and more than £900m.3
- It also found City tried to “stop and frustrate” the investigation.3
- Single-charge PSR cases have already cost Everton and Nottingham Forest points.2
🤏 Slap on the wrist, because…
- City deny it all and have appealed. The Appeal Board can vary the decision.67
- They've beaten a ban before: CAS overturned UEFA's in 2020.12
- Chelsea's 74 breaches ended in a £10m fine. The Guardian notes Chelsea self-reported and didn't gain a significant sporting advantage.9
- Today's players and fans weren't part of deals made between 2009 and 2018.
Fair play note: City have been found guilty by an independent commission, but the findings are under appeal and could still change. No sanction has been set. City deny wrongdoing. Argue the case, not the people.
📚 Sources
- Premier League — Premier League statement (charges referred to commission), 6 Feb 2023
- BBC Sport — Relegation? Titles stripped? Appeals? What next for Man City, 25 Sep 2026
- Premier League — Premier League Statement: Manchester City FC (Commission findings), 29 Sep 2026
- Independent Commission — Redacted Core Decision (PDF, hosted by The Athletic), published 29 Sep 2026
- Manchester City — Club Statement, 29 Sep 2026 · Club statement, 6 Feb 2023
- Manchester City — Manchester City lodge appeal, 2 Oct 2026
- Premier League — Manchester City FC appeal decision of independent Commission, 2 Oct 2026
- BBC Sport — Man City confirm appeal against guilty verdict, 2 Oct 2026
- The Guardian — Manchester City found guilty of breaking Premier League's financial fair play rules, 25 Sep 2026
- The Guardian — Manchester City settle with Premier League and accept sponsorship rules are valid, 8 Sep 2025
- BBC Sport — Man City & Premier League end sponsor rules dispute, 8 Sep 2025
- BBC Sport — Manchester City overturn two-year ban from European competition on appeal to Cas, 13 Jul 2020
- Sky Sports — Manchester City charges: latest on sanctions hearing and appeal, 12 Oct 2026
- The Observer — Manchester City appeal: what happens next?, 2 Oct 2026
- ESPN — What's next for Man City? Appeals, possible punishments, how long it could take, 8 Oct 2026
- BBC Sport — Do Manchester City have any grounds to win their appeal?, 16 Oct 2026 (updated 18 Oct)
- Al Jazeera (AFP) — Manchester City's charges appeal to be heard by January, regulator says, 14 Oct 2026
- The Guardian (PA) — Football regulator has ‘absolute power’ to force Manchester City sale if verdict upheld, 21 Oct 2026
- BBC Sport — How much did Man City's rule breaking cost your team?, 13 Oct 2026
- Manchester Evening News — Man City charges live (Maguire, Guéhi quotes), 15 Oct 2026
- Premier League — Broadcast deals 2025/26–2027/28 (Australia: Stan Sport), accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Stan — Optus Sport on Stan, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- City Football Group — Melbourne City Football Club, accessed 28 Oct 2026
- BBC Sport — Premier League fixtures, October 2026 (Man City v Brighton, 31 Oct, 15:00 UK), accessed 28 Oct 2026
- Premier League — Fixture amendments for November, 21 Sep 2026
UK kick-offs converted to Australian time by Mouth v Money (UK on GMT from 25 Oct 2026). No affiliate links on this page.