Man City charges LIVE: Premier League's damning statement, 'sham' contracts, City respond

Hello and welcome to Mirror Football's Manchester City charges live blog for Wednesday, September 30.

The Premier League officially announced the club's guilty verdict on 114 breaches of financial rules on Tuesday afternoon, four days after media reports broke the news.

A statement from the league read: "An independent Commission has found Manchester City FC guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation."

As a result, City have until Friday, October 2 to appeal the decision, which the club are likely to do as they continue to protest their innocence.

Manchester City also released a statement of their own in the wake of the Premier League's confirmation. It read: "Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission, that has been published today.

"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. The Club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.

"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."

Following the Premier League's announcement, Manchester City released a statement of their own. It read: "Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission, that has been published today.

Richard Masters, who is the chief executive of the leaguie, said: "The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade.

“It also vindicates the Premier League’s decision to pursue this case against Manchester City. While the process to date has been both long and difficult, the League has remained determined that the facts be established independently.

“It is a key responsibility of the Premier League to ensure that the Rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition. It is paramount that the League remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously.

In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the Premier League confirmed Manchester City's guilty verdict on breaches of financial rules. It read: "An independent Commission has found Manchester City FC guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.

"The independent Commission found that between Seasons 2009/10 and 2017/18:- Manchester City arranged ‘sham’ contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with a number of its commercial partners, as well as relying on ‘sham’ agreements with others, to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs- The club filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from its auditors and football regulators- Manchester City was significantly in breach of both the Premier League’s and UEFA’s spending limits- During the Premier League’s investigation, Manchester City committed multiple breaches of its duties of co-operation and utmost good faith towards the League (three of the four alleged breaches were upheld)

"The independent Commission found that Manchester City arranged ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors during the period, which were part of a disguised funding scheme, whereby those companies were only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees. The remainder was funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club. As part of the scheme, further ‘sham’ arrangements, funded by ADUG, were entered into to enable the club to record lower operating expenses than it actually incurred, as well as a ‘sham’ circular arrangement with Fordham, an entity that purchased the club’s players’ image rights, that was funded by ADUG.

"The purpose of these schemes was found to have been to artificially inflate the club’s revenues, and reduce its costs, by more than £900 million during the affected period, to appear to comply with financial rules. The consequence of this, as the Commission found, was that the club filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from its auditors and football regulators. The Commission concluded that ‘by its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules‘.

"As a result, Manchester City failed to accurately report its income and expenditure for the purposes of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules and UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Rules. The Commission found that, had all of the relevant agreements been reported accurately in the club’s accounts, it would have been in breach of both the League’s and UEFA’s spending limits by a very substantial amount.

Good morning and welcome to Mirror Football's Manchester City charges live blog for Wednesday, September 30.

That brings an end to our live coverage of the Manchester City 115 charges case for today, but we'll be back tomorrow morning with all the latest developments, updates and opinions.

Manchester United legend Roy Keane has claimed that he would put his medals “in the bin” if he were a Manchester City player, after the club was found guilty of financial breaches. The Premier League issued a statement on Tuesday confirming that City had been found guilty by an independent commission, following charges that were first issued back in 2023.

City issued a statement in response, maintaining their innocence, and outlined their intention to appeal the verdict, with a deadline set for Friday (October 2).

The charges brought against City by the Premier League relate to a nine-year spell between 2009 and 2018, during which time the club won three league titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups, and regularly competed in the Champions League. Keane has already called for City to be punished following the verdict, and has now sent a message to the players who have won major honours for the club.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has said Manchester City could be expelled from the Premier League following an independent commission's verdict finding them guilty of all charges relating to financial rule breaches.

The league has disclosed that City violated its financial regulations on a massive scale between 2009-10 and 2017-18 after orchestrating 'sham' commercial agreements as part of a concealed funding arrangement.

Nandy told Channel 5 News: "I don't want to preempt any kind of appeal process, and they are entitled to a fair hearing. But what I would say is that the ultimate sanction is very serious indeed.

"I mean, a club can be expelled from the Premier League if these sorts of allegations are upheld, with obviously huge repercussions for everybody.

"So there are very serious sanctions, and I think the bigger issue is how do we make sure that we have clearly understood rules that are upheld and applied consistently, and that we can move quickly when they're breached.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has warned that City's breaches have "gone far beyond the worst-case scenario that anybody initially envisaged".

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Maguire said: "If you Google what the word 'sham' means, I'm getting the words 'fake, false, fraud'. It's very, very significant.

"I think the quantum of money involved – £900million over a nine-year period – is a staggering misstatement, and it looks like it's been a corroborative fraud.

"The fact that the auditors were unaware of it, there must be collusion at the club.

Former City chairman David Bernstein described the league's findings as "damning beyond belief", insisting that "the sanctions cannot just be financial".

Bernstein, who served five years in the position before his departure in 2003, went further by suggesting the club's board should "be suspended immediately".

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: "It is damning beyond belief. My immediate thoughts are, should the board continue? Should the people involved be suspended immediately?

"Very, very serious. I think it's really terrible. There's a school of thought with lawyers that is 'deny, deny, deny', but this is a football club that is part of a league and the whole credibility of the league is at stake here.

"I would go as far [as to say it is a deep-seated form of fraud] and if it is, I'm not a lawyer but as a thought this is something so serious that it goes beyond the football authorities.

Ian Wright says it's surreal seeing Manchester City's breaches of financial fair play laid out in writing after the Premier League released a statement.

Speaking ahead of England's clash with Czechia tonight, Wright told ITV Sport: "It's cheating on an industrial scale. It's quite surreal seeing it written down like that.

"The amount of stick I've taken off that. Unprecedented punishment is required here. It's a massive day for the Premier League. They've taken on a whole country, massive.

In a video sent to Manchester City staff, CEO Ferran Soriano said:

Manchester City inflated their income by £830million through a scheme they dubbed 'Project Longbow', the independent commission investigating the club's financial misconduct charges has revealed. In a scathing 40-page document, the Premier League stated it considered City's behaviour to constitute "extremely serious, significant, sustained and intentional or reckless breaches of rules critical to the proper and fair operation of the Premier League's league competition".

The document lays bare the extent of what the commission repeatedly branded "sham" commercial arrangements the club struck with a number of its sponsors. These formed part of a concealed funding operation, whereby those companies were only obliged to contribute a fraction of the relevant sponsorship fees. According to the commission, one firm, "Fordham", was "in reality little more than a front" for the Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club, to channel in additional funds.

The commission stated: "In 2012 the club launched what it termed Project Longbow. We accept the club's explanation that Project Longbow was a multi-strand project whose purpose was to explore how the club might boost its revenues and reduce its operating losses. "Many of the strands of Project Longbow were genuine, legitimate attempts to achieve those aims. One was not. That was the Fordham Arrangement."

The Fordham Arrangement was, the commission contended, "a further device by which ADUG funds could be paid into the club in a manner that concealed their true origin" and which enabled "the club to remove operating expenses from its financial statements". The hearing examined factual evidence from 27 witnesses over 42 days in the last quarter of 2024, with a core bundle of key documents running to "many tens of thousands of pages".

Man City CEO Ferran Soriano says he has nothing to say when asked if he was going to apologise to football fans by Sky Sports after the latest Premier League statement.

Manchester City staff have reportedly been sent a video message by CEO Ferran Soriano. In which he claims the club will investigate all legal avenies to win the case having been found guilty by the independent commission.

The independent Commission has explained the reason behind the 20-month delay following the end of the 42-day hearing into the Premier League and Manchester City's 115 charges. The investigation into Man City began in December 2018, and a complaint was subsequently issued under Section W of the League’s rules in February 2023.

The Premier League announced in a statement today (Wednesday) that City were found guilty of 'all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.' The club still maintain their innocence.

In a statement, the independent Commission explained the reason behind the lengthy delay and wrote: "It has taken us much longer than we would have wished, and much longer than we had anticipated would be the case when the hearing concluded, to produce our Decision. That is regrettable."

The Premier League have broken their silence on Manchester City being found guilty of breaches of financial rules calling it the most significant disciplinary case in the division's history. A three-person independent panel has upheld the charges brought by the Premier League to City in February 2023, over a year after the hearing ended.

The Premier League have now revealed that City were found guilty of 'all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation'.

City's transgressions include 'sham deals' that helped to artificially inflate the club’s revenues by more than £900 million. City strongly deny the charges, and are expected to lodge an appeal against the verdict. They have until October 2nd to do so.

Manchester City have released their own statement saying it is disappointed and surprised by the result of the Premier League Comission.

A club statement read: "Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission, that has been published today. 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. The Club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says discussions are still ongoing regarding sanctions over a potential punishment for Manchester City after they were found guilty if all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period.

Masters said: "The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade. It also vindicates the Premier League’s decision to pursue this case against Manchester City. While the process to date has been both long and difficult, the League has remained determined that the facts be established independently.

"It is a key responsibility of the Premier League to ensure that the Rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition. It is paramount that the League remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously.

Former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor says he's texted his former teammates who represented Manchester City, joking that he'd hide their title medals before the Premier League comes asking for them back.

It follows on from reports that claimed City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 alleged charges last week.

Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast with Ally McCoist, he said: "I have even been throwing a bit of banter out there to Joleon Lescott. I told him that the medal has got to come back.

“I messaged Meeks as well [Richards], Barry - all of that era. I have been telling them that I'll come and grab the medals and hide them before the Premier League knock on the door. But they took it well."

Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that "no punishment will repair the damage" that has been caused by Manchester City's alleged 114 financial breaches - as he asked why the Premier League didn't act sooner.

The 54-year-old, who is now in charge of the Unites States national team, was in charge of Spurs during the period which City have been found in breach of Premier League regulations. The club are planning to appeal the outcome and continue to deny any wrongdoing.

La Liga president Javier Tebas has called on the independent panel to hand out a significant punishment to Manchester City for their alleged 114 financial breaches.

Manchester City were told they had been found to have breached 114 financial rules before their £440million summer spend, according to ESPN.

Their report claims that the findings of the independent panel were made clear to City in July. Despite that, in addition to sign Iliman Ndiaye from Everton, the club rebuilt their midfield by spending an enormous amount of money on Elliot Anderson, Enzo Fernandez and Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Manchester City's transfer for American starlet Cavan Sullivan has been put in doubt, with the teenager's agent speaking out.

The 17-year-old has a pre-transfer agreement with City over a move from Philadelphia Union next September when he turns 18.

But speaking to Sport, his agent Dan Segal has spoken out about the situation.

Former Premier League winger Andros Townsend has warned that the Premier League will become a 'laughing stock' if City are stripped of their titles.

He has, though, urged for the 'right thing' to be done.

The wait to discover what punishment City could get goes on, but we could get some ideas of what could be around the corner by looking at the past.

Here's the biggest punishments previously handed out:

Swindon Town (1990) - Relegated

Tottenham (1994) - £1.5m fine

Luton Town (2008) - 30-point deduction

Rangers (2012) - Relegation to the fourth tier

QPR (2018) - £42m fine and brief transfer embargo

Juventus (2023) - European ban, £17m fine and 15-point deduction

Former Manchester United man Paul Scholes has predicted that Erling Haaland would struggle to score goals in League Two, should City find themselves relegated to the division.

Speaking on The Good, the Bad and the Football, Scholes said:

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali is the first owner of a rival Premier League club to speak out about the reported guilty verdict.

Former Premier League goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has predicted that City could be playing 'non-league' football if they are unsuccessful with their appeal.

Expulsion from the Premier League is one of the possible punishments. If that happens then City would have to be accepted by the EFL, with some reports suggesting that may not be the case.

Today06:59 BSTCity have just days to appealAs per the Premier League's statement, Manchester City have until just Friday, October 2 to appeal the independent panel's verdict. The club are expected to do so, having continually claimed their innocence ever since being slapped with the charges three years ago.CommentsAaron Morris

29th Sep16:54 BSTPremier League statement releasedThe Premier League has released a damning statement on Manchester City's alleged charges. The statement read:An independent Commission has found Manchester City FC guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.The independent Commission found that between Seasons 2009/10 and 2017/18:- Manchester City arranged ‘sham’ contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with a number of its commercial partners, as well as relying on ‘sham’ agreements with others, to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs- The club filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from its auditors and football regulators- Manchester City was significantly in breach of both the Premier League’s and UEFA’s spending limits- During the Premier League’s investigation, Manchester City committed multiple breaches of its duties of co-operation and utmost good faith towards the League (three of the four alleged breaches were upheld)The independent Commission found that Manchester City arranged ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors during the period, which were part of a disguised funding scheme, whereby those companies were only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees. The remainder was funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club. As part of the scheme, further ‘sham’ arrangements, funded by ADUG, were entered into to enable the club to record lower operating expenses than it actually incurred, as well as a ‘sham’ circular arrangement with Fordham, an entity that purchased the club’s players’ image rights, that was funded by ADUG.The purpose of these schemes was found to have been to artificially inflate the club’s revenues, and reduce its costs, by more than £900 million during the affected period, to appear to comply with financial rules. The consequence of this, as the Commission found, was that the club filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from its auditors and football regulators. The Commission concluded that ‘by its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules‘.As a result, Manchester City failed to accurately report its income and expenditure for the purposes of the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules and UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Rules. The Commission found that, had all of the relevant agreements been reported accurately in the club’s accounts, it would have been in breach of both the League’s and UEFA’s spending limits by a very substantial amount.In addition, during the course of the four-year investigation conducted by the Premier League, the club committed multiple breaches of its duties of co-operation and utmost good faith towards the League. The Commission concluded that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the PL investigation’.CommentsMatty Hewitt