Man City Lodge Appeal Against Premier League Financial Guilty Verdict
Club insists it is innocent as private Appeal Board process begins
2 min read
File photo: Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City. Photo: Ank Kumar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Manchester City have lodged a comprehensive appeal against an independent commission verdict that found the club guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules spanning nine seasons.
The club confirmed it filed the appeal at 7pm on Thursday, 1 October 2026, and restated that it is "innocent" of the accusations. In a statement, City said the commission's opinion "contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe," and that "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions."
What the commission found
The independent commission examined seasons from 2009/10 to 2017/18. According to Sky Sports, it concluded City arranged "sham" commercial contracts as part of a "disguised funding scheme" that artificially inflated revenues by £830 million. Separately, Al Jazeera, citing Reuters and the Associated Press, reported the league said schemes inflated revenue and understated costs by more than £900 million over nearly a decade. Those figures describe related findings and should not be merged without attribution.
City were found guilty of all charges relating to financial-rule breaches, plus three of four charges concerning failures to cooperate with the investigation.
Appeal process and timeline
The appeal goes to an independent three-member Appeal Board appointed by the chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel. Hearings will remain private until an outcome may be published. Under current Premier League rules, a hearing should be held within 12 weeks of the appeal being lodged, with a decision due within 30 days of the hearing ending. The board reviews the commission decision and does not conduct a full rehearing.
Possible sanctions if City ultimately lose include a reprimand, fine, suspension, points deduction or expulsion from the competition. No club has ever been expelled from English football's top flight.
FA watches the case
The Football Association said the independent commission's decision has "significant implications for the integrity of the game" and that it is carefully considering the findings. Meanwhile the Premier League season continues, with City due to visit Liverpool on 11 October.
Sources: Sky Sports; Al Jazeera (Reuters/AP)
