What are the Premier League’s charges against Man City?

The hearing into Manchester City ’s alleged 115 breaches of the Premier League ’s financial rules has reached its long-awaited verdict, with City set to found guilty of all except one charge. The champions were referred to an independent commission in February 2023 following a four-year investigation. The Premier League said the alleged breaches took place over a nine-season period, from 2009 to 2018, and relate to providing accurate financial information. City were also charged with failing to comply with the Premier League’s rules on profit and sustainability (PSR) and Uefa’s financial fair play regulations, and are alleged to have not cooperated with the Premier League over its investigation. The club won the Premier League three times between 2009 and 2018. Follow the latest updates on Manchester City charges – live City, who denied all the charges, announced their “surprise” when they were referred to the independent commission last February. The club won an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row in 2023/24 . How did this come about? The Premier League opened an investigation into City way back in 2018, prompted by the Football Leaks revelations . After a number of legal delays, charges were finally laid in February 2023 and the club were referred to an independent commission. What were the charges? The charges against City related to the requirement to accurately report financial information, including around the value of sponsorship deals, the submission of details of manager and player pay information and to a club’s responsibility as a Premier League member to adhere to Uefa’s financial regulations and to the league’s own profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). They are also accused of failing to co-operate with the league’s investigation. In all, there are charges relating to every season between 2009-10 and 2022-23, during a period in which they won three Premier League titles. Full breakdown of the charges brought to Manchester City 54 - Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information (2009-2018) 14 - Failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation (2009-2018) 5 - Failure to comply with UEFA's regulations, including Financial Fair Play Regulations 7 - Breaching Premier League Profitability and Sustainability regulations (2015-2018) 35 - Failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations (2018-2023) What did Man City say? At the time, the club issued a statement strenuously denying the allegations on the day the charges were brought, saying they they welcomed the opportunity for an independent commission “to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of our position”. The club added: “As such, we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.” Why is this so significant? City, the winners of the Premier League in each of the four seasons between 2020-21 to 2023-24, face a huge points deduction or even expulsion from the league if found guilty of the serial cheating they are accused of. The guilty verdict for City could also prompt a slew of compensation claims from other Premier League clubs and even potentially affect diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, where City owner Sheikh Mansour is a deputy prime minister. Why did it take so long to reach a verdict? The hearing ran from 16 September to 6 December 2024 and while a verdict was initially speculated for early 2025, the timeframe between the hearing and the judgement has stretched to almost two years. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters pleaded for patience last August , before the start of the 2025-26 season, and reiterated that his organisation has no control over the timings, telling Sky Sports: "It's an independent judiciary essentially. “They are then in charge of the process and its timings. They hear the case, they decide the outcome and we have no influence over it or its timing. My frustration is irrelevant really, I just have to wait. Legal processes rarely take less time than you anticipated. But we have to be patient.”