Manchester City guilty on all but one of the 115 charges

After 4 years of investigation by an independent commission, Manchester City has been found guilty of all but one of the charges against them. The verdict came out on Friday, 25 September 2026, with news outlets across the world breaking the story. Man City plan to appeal the verdict in the coming days.

How everything began

It started back in 2018 after a few of the club’s emails were hacked and were published by a German news outlet. The charges allege the club of breaching the financial rules of the Premier League between 2009 and 2018. These allegations were not just about the reporting of their financial status, but also involved their remuneration arrangements with managers and sponsors. The four-year time was required for a case of this magnitude, not just the sheer number of charges involved.

Let’s not forget this isn’t the first time the Arab-owned club has been found guilty and punished for it. UEFA banned City from the Champions League after an investigation in 2020, but the Sky Blues were able to win after a court appeal and went on to win UCL in 2023. Many argue the case was not strong for UEFA to ban the club and that’s the loophole that came in handy for Man City to get out easily.

Premier League investigation so far

But even after that, the Premier League did not let the matter go easily, as they officially charged City in February 2023 in what we know now as the ‘115-charges’ case. Unlike the UEFA case, the Premier League was analyzing allegations across a 9-year period starting from 2009 to 2018. After the charges were made formal, the hearing again took more than a year, starting in September 2024.

City’s position on this matter

Sheikh Mansour’s team has always rejected all allegations against them. In fact, when the Premier League charged them, the club stated they were surprised and that they are open to an investigation under an independent commission. Media outlets report that City officials are going to appeal this verdict in the coming days.

Meanwhile, other teams are most likely planning to have legal battles of their own against City. Clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool will have a positive outcome if the committee decides to strip City of their titles during the alleged period. City has won three EPL titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups between 2009 and 2018.

So far the extent of the punishments is not clear. It could start from deductions of points, fines, relegation or even expulsion from the league. But again, nothing has been finalized. With City preparing to appeal, it’s more likely that this process will take longer. Meanwhile, under Maresca, they are already on top of the league after five matchdays, winning all five games so far.