Premier League statement in full as Man City found guilty and ‘sham’ contracts revealed

An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of all financial rule breach charges across a nine-season period between 2009/10 and 2017/18. The Premier League confirmed the ruling on Tuesday, detailing that the club engaged in sham contracts and disguised funding schemes backed by Abu Dhabi United Group to artificially inflate revenues and lower reported costs by over £900 million. The commission also upheld multiple charges regarding the club's failure to cooperate with the league's four-year investigation.

Manchester City issued a statement expressing surprise and disappointment, announcing plans to pursue an appeal against what it described as an unsafe decision with material legal errors. Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters called the outcome the most significant disciplinary decision in the competition's history. The specific sanctions facing Manchester City will be determined in a separate, confidential hearing, while the club has until Friday, October 2, to formally appeal.