Manchester City financial rules are at the centre of a newly published Premier League decision. The club’s response to the independent Commission is clear: the club disputes the findings and says it will pursue the appeal avenues open to it. The Commission has found City guilty of serious financial-rule breaches across nine seasons, but it has not yet decided a sanction.
Manchester City financial rules: findings City intends to challenge
The Premier League’s statement on the Core Decision says the Commission upheld every charge concerning serious financial-rule breaches in the 2009/10 to 2017/18 seasons. It also upheld three of four alleged failures to co-operate with the investigation.
The League says the Manchester City financial rules case exposed sham commercial arrangements to inflate revenue and reduce costs. The Commission put the combined effect above £900 million during the period. It found that City misstated accounts and concealed its true finances from auditors and regulators. Accurate reporting would have put City above Premier League and UEFA spending limits.
However, the findings are not a points deduction, fine, relegation order or title decision. The League has announced none of those outcomes. Instead, the Commission will consider the sanction at a separate hearing. The League says that hearing will remain private until the rules permit publication of its result.
Manchester City financial rules: why City disputes the findings
City disputes the Manchester City financial rules findings. In a club statement reported by BBC Sport, it said it was “disappointed and surprised” by the opinion and maintained its innocence. It described the Commission’s opinion as unsafe, alleging material errors of law, principle and fact. The club said it would pursue the available appeal avenues and noted that the process remains ongoing.
Addressing the Manchester City financial rules findings in a video message to staff reported by ESPN on 30 September, chief executive Ferran Soriano alleged the opinion supported a Premier League “conspiracy theory”. He claimed it ignored the club’s evidence and said City’s lawyers would file an appeal. Those are Soriano’s claims, not the Commission’s findings, and the report does not confirm a formal filing.
Meanwhile, former City chairman David Bernstein criticised the club’s leadership after the Manchester City financial rules findings. In comments to talkSPORT reported by Reuters on 30 September, he said the directors, including the chief executive, should stand down or be suspended. That is Bernstein’s opinion, not an official sanction or a confirmed change to City’s board.
City has announced its intention to challenge the findings. That does not confirm a formal appeal. The Premier League says City has until Friday 2 October to exercise its right to appeal. The League aims to conclude the full process, including any appeal and the publication of further decisions, as soon as possible.
The next stage
The Manchester City financial rules case now moves from findings toward an appeal window and a separate sanction hearing. That distinction matters for City supporters. The liability findings are public, but the penalty is still unknown and the appeal window is open. Naming a specific sanction now would run ahead of this decision.
Before the decision, Ferran Soriano reportedly told club chiefs the case could continue. That earlier report is background, not the current procedural position: the League has now published the Commission’s core findings, and City says it will challenge them. We will update this report when the League or club confirms an appeal filing or sanction.
Photo: Etihad Stadium, Sarmad Yaseen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped to 16:9 from the original.
BBC Sport reported on 30 September that Manchester City’s deadline to appeal is Friday, 2 October. It also reported that Premier League regulations say an appeal should conclude within 12 weeks of being filed, with a decision within 30 days of its end; that is a procedural timetable, not a confirmed date for sanctions.
Independent Football Regulator chair David Kogan said the commission’s decision “raises serious issues”, according to a Manchester Evening News report on 30 September. He said the IFR can assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives, but with proceedings between Manchester City and the Premier League still ongoing it will “await further developments”. This is a statement of the regulator’s position, not an announced sanction or ownership action against City.
Pep Guardiola offers support after the findings
On 30 September, a message on the PepTeam X account offered support to Manchester City. Guardiola said: “We will get through this together. I love you all.” Sky Sports reported the message; Press Association’s report in The Irish News also carried the original post.
I want every single @ManCity fan to know I am here; more than ever. I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, staff, Enzo and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.
PepTeam (@PepTeam) September 30, 2026
This is a support message, not a sanction or appeal ruling. The dated link and quoted text remain available if the X embed does not load.
