Man City make decision on appealing Premier League guilty verdict

Manchester City have announced they have lodged an appeal after being found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that an independent commission had found the club guilty of all but one of the 115 charges against them.

The commission says City had arranged ‘sham’ sponsorship deals, filed misstated accounts and breached spending limits to ‘artificially inflate the club’s revenues, and reduce its costs, by more than £900 million’ from 2009 to 2018.

The Citizens have always maintained their innocence and had until Friday, October 2 to appeal the verdict.

The eight-time Premier League champions have now done so, confirming the decision in a statement on Friday morning:

‘Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1st October 2026 the Club lodged its comprehensive Appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter.

‘The Club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.

‘The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case.

‘We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete.’

The saga, which has rocked English football to its core, is now set to be even further protracted.

Premier League rules state that an appeal hearing must be held within 12 weeks of an appeal being lodged. The hearing can only last five days and upon its conclusion, a decision on the appeal must be made within 30 days.

That means a final outcome on the verdict could be made as late as the end of the January 2027.

Earlier on Friday, the Football Association released its own statement, suggesting they could launch their own investigation into City and impose further sanctions.

‘The Independent Commission’s decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game,’ the FA said.

‘We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.

‘As proceedings between the Premier League and Manchester City Football Club remain ongoing, we do not intend to comment further at this stage. We will, however, continue to monitor developments closely.’

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