Manchester City say they have lodged their appeal after being found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules by an independent commission. The independent commission found that between 2009/10 and 2017/18, Man City arranged "sham" contracts with a number of its commercial partners as part of a "disguised funding scheme" to artificially inflate the club's revenues by £830m. In a statement on Friday, the club said: "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 statement from Man City erroneously refers to a Premier League commission.
It is an independent commission. Man City have maintained their innocence throughout the process, with chief executive Ferran Soriano calling the process a "Premier League conspiracy theory" in a video message to players and staff The commission also said it was "regrettable" that a decision had taken so long to reach, with the hearing having taken place between September and December 2024. A Manchester City statement released on Tuesday read: "Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League commission, that has been published today.
"The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted. Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe. "The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.
"The club is obviously restricted in what it can say further until all future proceedings are complete." Manchester City's statement erroneously refers to a Premier League commission. Latest from Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol and Amar Mehta: Manchester City's appeal could drag on into next year if they argue that the process should not be run according to Premier League rules which were introduced for this season. City have filed their appeal and the new rules about appeals state that this part of the disciplinary process has to be concluded within 12 weeks and the appeal hearing can last no longer than five days.
City's lawyers could argue that they were charged in 2023 and a hearing was held in 2024 - when the rules about a speeded-up appeals process were not in the Premier League Handbook. A legal expert told Sky Sports News Manchester City would have a strong case for arguing that the new rules should not apply in this case. The new rules were introduced to ensure that clubs, where possible, were punished in the same season as relevant rule breaches.
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