Man City are denying Friday's reports that they have been found guilty of wrongdoing in their case with the Premier League. Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images Editor's Note: This was originally published March 19, 2025. We have republished and updated this explainer of the facts -- the charges levied against Manchester City and the potential punishments -- along with insight as to the duration of the proceedings in light of Friday's news reports, which City are denying at this time. This is another explainer, from February 2026, shining light on why the process is taking so long.
What are the charges against Manchester City?
They relate to the seasons between 2009-10 and 2022-23 and cover a range of alleged breaches -- the most serious being false accounting, with respect to providing accurate financial information on revenue (including sponsorship revenue), related parties and operating costs. There are other alleged breaches, including irregularities in player and manager remuneration and, in more recent seasons, failure to cooperate with the Premier League's investigation.
If the charges relate to alleged breaches, why are they coming to light only now?
Because much of this issue relates to the "Football Leaks," when internal documents -- "leaked" say the perpetrators, "stolen or false" say some of the victims -- relating to a range of soccer-related issues were made public. German newsmagazine Der Spiegel had access to the cache of documents -- including internal emails -- and published stories accusing Manchester City of flouting financial fair play rules, which regulate how clubs can generate revenue. This led to investigations by UEFA and, later, by the Premier League.
In February 2020, UEFA's investigation found Manchester City guilty and banned them from European football for two seasons while fining them €30 million. The ban was overturned five months later by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on the basis that some charges had exceeded the statute of limitations and others were "not established" by UEFA. City were also fined €10 million for failing to cooperate with the investigation.
Why is the Premier League's case taking so long?
It's a combination of the league's own rules and the many legal challenges City have brought over the years, contesting jurisdiction and other legal matters. Consider that officials only announced the investigation in March 2019, then went years without telling anyone what was going on or even if the case was dropped. (In fact, it was Her Majesty's Court of Appeals that informed us in 2021 that it was still ongoing, following another legal challenge.)