Man City’s response to the guilty verdict
The Premier League and the Independent commission investigating the 115 charges on Manchester City issued a statement on 29th September 2026. According to the statement the Independent commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to breaches of the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play rules between 2009 to 2018. Man City were also found guilty of failure to cooperate with the League’s investigation.
The Premier League statement was quite scathing in its review, using phrases like sham sponsorship deals, sham arrangements and mentioned that the club were dishonest, misstating accounts and concealing the true state of their finances to their auditors and football regulators. Man City have time until 2nd October 2026 to appeal the findings of the Independent Commission. According to the Premier League, the process which includes the appeal and the relevant decisions or sanctions should be published as soon as possible.
The entire Premier League statement is mentioned below –
The link for the Independent Commission’s redacted version of the Core Decision is mentioned below –
In response, Manchester City have expressed surprise and disappointment at the guilty verdict on 114 out of 115 charges and claimed innocence of any wrongdoing.
Manchester City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak issued a statement on their official website stating that they remain confident that the Premier League process has a long way to complete and that Man CIty remain innocent but they couldn’t release any documents due to a strict and confidential legal process.
There was also an official club statement that said –
“The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the Club’s statement of February 2023.
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.”
Having stated the above, it’s clear that Manchester City will definitely appeal against the guilty verdict by the Independent Commission. Additionally, according to SkySports, City’s main sponsor Etihad Airways is also considering legal action against the Premier League.
Etihad Airways issued a lengthy statement to the Athletic stating that it “categorically rejects any finding, conclusion or implication that suggests the airline has ever been involved in improper commercial arrangements. The Premier League’s public communication of the Commission’s findings, following a period of selective leaks and reporting, has further created damaging implications for Etihad despite the airline not being named in the redacted published findings.”
Hence, to conclude their response, Manchester CIty continue to plead innocence even after years of non-cooperation with the investigation and now their main sponsor, Etihad Airways is threatening a legal course of action against the Premier League, rejecting the verdict and claiming damaging implications in the entire fiasco.