City guilty

I am not doubting the leak is correct.
All the leak is saying is that the independent commission has upheld the 114 of the charges brought by the EPL.
The fact that so many people have interpreted this in some way as 'guilt' or 'cheating' worthy of a 500 point penalty and a 300 trillion dollar fine is not my problem.
At the moment everything is on the table.
From City getting off scott free to Haaland being put up against a firing squad. Although if the shooters are selected from the Spurs squad, he should be fine .
I have no idea which.
Tho of all I have read here, StrawMan's hypothesis seems more plausible than most.

So much not your problem you had to invent it.

The only way they are negotiating sanctions is if the whole thing is as utterly corrupt as the City owners and by finding them guilty of virtually everything, it maximises their bargaining position to impose a bigger fine which will be split between the other 19 clubs.

I don't see why they'd find them guilty of virtually everything and then settle up with them on light sanctions otherwise - they'd find them guilty of a few charges and give them a light penalty. It looks farcical if they don't follow up the verdict with as heavy a sanction as possible, which is one relegation via points deduction (I don't see how the PL can impose more than this but I could be wrong about that) with fines/bans ancillary to that.

MCFC CEO Ferran Sorriano has been reported as telling a meeting of the EFC - European Football Clubs - that the case with the EPL could drag on for years.

I smell a law suit if City get the mammoth points deduction that many are anticipating.

This is the as yet relatively unseen problem with state ownership. Bottomless pockets to fight everything litigiously at massive cost to everyone on the opposite side and political lobbying at the highest level far above the heads of football associations with threats about billions in trade, visas etc etc. Power that other clubs don't have and which no other club would need because they'd never flout the rules to this extent.

They will of course fight everything to the hilt. They've been lawyering up at every opportunity until now. No surprises there.

Whatyagonnado?7

The Abu Dhabi Group is a private equity company. It can and will invest anywhere in which is permitted. Plenty of countries and in particular States in the US and Provinces in Canada have funds with enormous wealth and pull in the worlds capital markets. The bleeding Norwegians have one valued at over $2 trillion owing to the fact the profits from their oil industry get ploughed into it.

The UAE(in which Abu Dhabi is affiliated) is not Putin's Russia, Kim Il Jung's Korea, Iran. Abu Dhabi is a strategic ally to the UK in a very volatile part of the world. We do business with them all the time. The notion that the EPL is going to introduce legislation banning the investment funds of 'Nation States' is for the birds I am afraid.

I guess Man city can sue the PL UK for anti competitive behaviour, but difficult to understand how that could succeed as the PL is the PL!

City cannot sue the Premier League in the High Court or take an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), instead as I wrote before they have to abide to the private, commercial arbitration process bought by the Premier League. So they can appeal within the PL framework, that's all.

It is surely in the gift of the PL to push through the sanctions and hear the appeal asap and somehow dissuade other members from taking civil lawsuits. That is the negotiating "chip" the PL have in getting Man City to accept the charges.

I think they could actually go to the high court and argue the leaks and process were unfair and impartial, they used that argument against UEFA.

THE BORO and STEVE GIBSON have alot to answer for beating ERICKSONS city

  8 [ EIGHT ]  v   1 [ ONE ]
downing 16,58       Elano 87
Alves  37,60,90
johnson  70
rochemback  80
alladiere  85


at the riverside

if it any comfort the peado johnon not erased from history or become an asterix 

that ELANO must have been some machine putting one past THE MIGHTY REDS

The 'word' coming out of the media now appears to be that the 'appeals process', which was originally thought to last no longer than 14 days, could take as long as the 18 or so months it took the 'independent commission' to come to its adjudication.

I think at the end of the day this is a case involving complicated legal & finance issues.
If City do take it to the high court then I can only imagine some lengthy 'Jarndyce versus Jarndyce' (from a Charles Dickens novel) procedure which will last many many years.

Nothing gets M'learned Friends more excited than financial litigation.
There was the Deripaska case heard in the High Court involving nickel mining rights in RUssia. Six years.
HMRC went after the Daily Telegraph's owners, the Barclay Brothers, and the case lasted a decade.
Then there was the Autonomy case, a UK software company sold to Hewlett Packard. That began in 2011 and went back and fore across the Atlantic for a dozen or so years. To say nothing about how that worked out for the Autonomy's owners....

Could be a long wait.

I am well aware that other countries have wealth funds latarps, but it's only the 'strategic allies' with appalling human rights records that seem to invest in sports teams.
It is a major problem if they don't abide by the rules and if it were Russia N Korea or Iran, they wouldn't cheat on the scale the City owners have.

I can see it being banned in the future in the EPL, especially after this debacle, there was already huge resistance to the Saudi investment in Newc, another 'strategic ally' in the same part of the world with a similar appalling record on human rights.

Well you can think that Lurk...

But I should imagine that a unilateral ban on Arabians owning football clubs would cause a huge diplomatic stink.
Some of the more left-leaning news outlets have reported that the UAE have been onto His Majesty's Government about the Man City case already.

If it comes down to a battle between football and Arms deals to the middle east, there will only ever be one winner.

The PL own rules state any appeal must be made within 14 days and the whole process completed within 128 days. What I'm still not clear on is if they have actually informed Man City of the guilty verdicts and therefore the 14 day appeal process has started. The lack of transparency/statement by the PL considering the genie is well and truly out the bottle is staggering.

It's not about owners

It's about owners cheating as at Citeh.

If the Saudis cheated then they would
face same rules that any other owners would.

Citeh and their fans seem to think cheating
is fine and dandy.

Which is why they should by wound up.

good luck to man city its tough sh1t if the club you support got no money that's the world we live in

MrStrawMan 28 Sep 26 20:08 
I expect The Premier League and Man City are negotiating the sentence now , a large fine which will be pretty meaningless , a transfer ban for a couple of windows and a points deduction announced late in the season which puts them just above the relegation zone , so basically a year out of europe .


I disagree with this, the EPL were the ones who went after them in the first place, if they only intended to hit them with a token punishment they wouldn't have been so determined from the off, the disadvantage of losing City from the league is nothing compared to the damage to the league and its integrity and how it is viewed around the globe if the league is seen to have done "a deal" with the club, and if it was seen to have done a deal it would only, IMO, make other clubs more determined to go after them privately for compensation by way of achieving a suitable level of justice.

Wonder how much else City or anybody else for that matter know about anything and anybody outside the Etihad this could get jolly interesting the whole pyramid could implode. These leaks are disgusting by the way.

Minimum SANCTIONS

5 YEAR TRANSFER BAN
DEDUCT 60 POINTS A SEASON FOT 5 YEARS

Or if they dont admit the charges
Double the above charges

Let them SINK

City are playing Ipswich in a few weeks, that'll be a big 6 pointer

PL Statement

Premier League Statement: Manchester City FC
Premier League statement
29 Sep 2026

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’.

Richard Masters, Chief Executive of the Premier League, 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.

“This disciplinary case, and this decision, are the most significant in Premier League history. There are elements of the case that remain to be decided, including, importantly, what sanction must follow for these breaches. Now we have the Commission’s decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the League, our clubs and fans.”

The independent Commission’s findings are set out in a Core Decision, of which a redacted version has been published (click here). The Commission’s award comprises both the Core Decision and a large number of additional appendices, which the League is committed to publishing as soon as it is able.

The League is able to publish the Core Decision because the Commission has ruled (and an Appeal Board has confirmed) that the Commission’s decision is a ‘final award’.

Now that the charges have been proved, the issue of sanction will be addressed separately in a further hearing with the independent Commission. In accordance with Premier League rules, that hearing will remain private and confidential until such a time as publication of the outcome is permitted.

The club has the right to appeal the independent Commission’s findings and has until Friday 2 October to exercise that right.

The Premier League Board’s intention is that the full process (including any appeals and publication of relevant decisions) is concluded as soon as possible.
Notes to Editors

Premier League investigation, independent Commission process:

- The Premier League began its investigation into Manchester City in December 2018, and a complaint was subsequently issued under Section W of the League’s rules in February 2023
- The independent Commission held a 42-day hearing, which concluded in December 2024
- In explaining the length of time it had taken to provide the parties with a decision, the independent Commission 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.

‘However, we were fortunate to have available to us throughout the period in which our Decision has been being prepared not only all of the documents that were used at the hearing but also

(a) verbatim transcripts of the evidence given by each witness and expert at the hearing. Those transcripts ran to approximately 7,000 pages, and (b) extremely detailed written submissions from the parties (that they had supplemented orally over four days at the end of the hearing) on the evidence and each of the numerous issues that we were tasked with determining in the proceedings.’

Premier League investigations, independent Commissions, and Appeal Boards

- The Premier League Board has the power to investigate any suspected or alleged breach of Premier League Rules
- Where, following the conclusion of an investigation or otherwise, the Board believes that there is a suspicion or allegation of a Rule breach, it has a number of options available to it. One of these options is to issue a written complaint and refer the matter to a Commission
- The League has established an independent Judicial Panel, comprising a number of legal, financial and other experts
- Members of the Judicial Panel are appointed by its independent Chair. It is also the Chair of the Judicial Panel who selects members of the Judicial Panel to sit on Commissions, which are independent of the Premier League. The Chair of the Judicial Panel at the time of the Complaint in these proceedings was Murray Rosen KC. The current Chair of the Judicial Panel is Sir Gary Hickinbottom
- All proceedings convened under Section W of the Rules are confidential and heard in private
- The Commission appointed under Section W of the Rules has a broad discretion as to the sanctions it wishes to apply, the non-exhaustive list set out in rules includes fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions
- Whenever a Commission makes what is described as a ‘final award’ in the rules, such decisions are published on the Premier League website
- A party to proceedings that wishes to challenge a decision of the Commission may do so under Section W of the Premier League Rules, by filing an appeal to be heard before an Appeal Board
- Appeal Boards are also appointed by the Chair of the Judicial Panel and must have three members, one of whom should have held judicial office, and would sit as the chair of the Appeal Board
- An Appeal Board has wide discretion in respect of the appeal, and may allow it, dismiss it, or make any other order that it thinks fit (including varying the order of Commission)

For further information on the disciplinary process, please see Section W of the Premier League Handbook.

Confidentiality

- The disciplinary proceedings between the Premier League and the club have been confidential, as provided for in the League’s Rules
- Premier League Rules provide for the publication of the outcomes of final awards of Commissions
- It has recently been determined that certain aspects about the findings of the Commission in these proceedings may be published under the League’s Rules
- At this stage, the Premier League is only permitted to publish a redacted version of the summary of the Commission’s ‘core findings’
- The process remains ongoing and any further information related to the proceedings that has not been published by the Premier League remains confidential. When the Premier League is able to do so under the League’s Rules – unless legally prevented from doing so - the Premier League will publish the full Decision and any further updates. In the meantime, all aspects of the ongoing process will be confidential

https://resources.premierleague.pulselive.com/premierleague/document/2026/09/29/
9bb3f063-6312-4d15-a1f1-77280d356a49/Premier-League-Manchester-City-independent-
Commission-Redacted-Core-Decision.pdf

Link to redacted Core Decision as referred to above

Sep 29, 2026 -- 5:35PM, duffy wrote:

MrStrawMan 28 Sep 26 20:08

City Statement today-

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.

It's like the guilty party still protesting its innocence as the hangman is putting the noose around its neck.

£920m total in owner injections disguised as sponsorships from 3rd parties + understated club liabilities over 9 seasons, ending in 17/18.
Hard to believe they are still protesting innocence, still talking about 'irrefutable evidence' which the PL refuted entirely, some real 'the dog ate my homework' excuses for clear fraud. A shockingly amateur attempt to hide everything which they are caught bang to rights on imo.

The independent commission also found that the club made “concerted efforts to frustrate the Premier League investigation” over a four-year period and accused key City witnesses of giving evidence they knew to be untrue.

I have just read it Lurka. I am not an accountant, but I was a lawyer for 35+ years. It look very very bad indeed. Far worse than I thought.

The End is Finish

Given the obvious rampant, planned complex dishonesty on the part of some at City (unable to say whom due to redactions) AND the ADUG (effectively Sheikh Mansoor) it presents a problem for his continued ownership under the "fit and proper person" rule. There may be huge consequences arising out of this which may reach up to Foreign Office level. If we are, effectively, accusing him of dishonesty, his response to that may be thunderous. I know personally the degree which they hold great store by integrity and "honour". To impugn that so publicly may lead to unintended consequences.

You're not telling me that when City were reporting ginormous sponsorship deals with other state-owned companies an eternity ago that it was simply a vehicle for inflating their income as a loophole to get around the PL and UEFA spending restrictions?

I don't know how anyone could have foreseen that such cunning plans would be implemented by owners of any PL club, let alone have any idea that such things were going on at the time.

What a mess

Now the verdict has been officially published there is a very strict timetable for any appeal.

city jut ahead of the curve,they were baically only doing what the EPL has since made legal

Total recorded sponsorship-£950 million
Actually paid-£119 million

I now know Citehs defense
THe accountant stole the difference!!!

hahaha

This is all Kyle Walkers fault

ISLL............it was all paid. That isn't the point. The issue is that it wasn't sponsorship. It was £119m sponsorship and £831m bunged in from the owners via the "sponsors" contrary to the rules

Sep 29, 2026 -- 12:20PM, Storm Alert wrote:

The PL own rules state any appeal must be made within 14 days and the whole process completed within 128 days. What I'm still not clear on is if they have actually informed Man City of the guilty verdicts and therefore the 14 day appeal process has started. The lack of transparency/statement by the PL considering the genie is well and truly out the bottle is staggering.

The statement says they have till 2nd October to appeal. So assume they were informed over a week ago.

If they PL and FA have any backbone they will expel them from the top 4 divisions.

I'm not sure what powers the PL have beyond forcing 1 relegation thru a points deduction or voting to expel them from the league (15 votes needed). I doubt they can impose relegations beyond that but perhaps the EFL can refuse to accept them?

In any event given the scathing nature of the Decision and the scale of the fraud, I think everything is on the table for them by whatever means, including government intervention and possible police/HMRC investigations, although that's where their political clout might save them.

But they have to be kicked out of the PL minimum and they also need to be investigated from 2018 to date. Probably up to their necks in other forms of cheating we don't even know about, already found to have paid lump sums to a few of the refs, similar to their arrangement with Mancini.

They can give them points deduction or kick them out.

If they kick them out, then they have to apply to efl.

Efl would vote, 72 teams, and would need a simple majority
to get in, they would decide where they start.

If they reject them it's conference and so on.

If EPL kick them out they'd be in limbo until next season
but might find a few friendlies.

Probably don't get kicked out but they certainly deserve it.

Scathing is the right word. I really didn't think the PL had it in them...

City's next move, after the failed appeal, tying the CAS in knots for the next 10 years.

Sep 29, 2026 -- 10:14PM, ----you-have-to-laugh--- wrote:

They can give them points deduction or kick them out.If they kick them out, then they have to apply to efl.Efl would vote, 72 teams, and would need a simple majorityto get in, they would decide where they start.If they reject them it's conference and so on.If EPL kick them out they'd be in limbo until next seasonbut might find a few friendlies.Probably don't get kicked out but they certainly deserve it.

The Premier League isn't going to expel a club 'mid season' in any world. That would cost them an enormous amount of money straight up in compensation under broadcasting rights. Between seasons they might, but they aren't going to do it partway through a season. Would end up costing them hundreds of millions under their broadcast contracts. They'd vastly prefer a lame duck club (in terms of sporting implications) that fulfills fixtures than that scenario.

^
So instead you get a lame duck side simply going through the motions and most likely not even trying in games, why would they want to risk injury when some players would want out, perhaps playing reserve sides, what about the unfairness in that scenario to the sides that have already played City whilst they were trying?

An expulsion would seem the cleanest result all round and it would prevent the players from having to go through the unedifying reception they would get at away grounds for the rest of the season and anyway, think about it, you've got this absolutely scathing judgement and yet they play on and perhaps win another title and get it handed to them by their own executioner, City playing on for the rest of the season really would be a SHAM

The independent Commission’s findings are set out in a Core Decision comment in the report and to me this suggests the PL could impose sanctions now if they want to. My guess is they will wait and go through the appeal process first, which should rap up by Christmas, as it is not a retry of the case against Man City.

Unless something technically comes to light, which seems unlikely, I imagine Man City will be slung out the league and told to reapply. Although it was Scotland, a precedent has been set with Rangers and their financial issues. The 72 clubs majority vote could possible vote against rejoining at the lowest tier without a ownership regime change.

Got to feel for the rank-and-file employees who will be affected by this, through no fault of their own...

The ole noisy neighbours will get evicted.

Regardless of what happens, we saw some exciting football. I'm glad it happened!

Not sure what Cheaty's appeal will be based on. An appeal isnt a rerun of the process that found them guilty. I doubt new evidence has come to light so I suspect they will focus on the legality of the process.

Given the guilty verdict any long delay in delivering the sanction will just drag the reputation of the EPL down further and infuriate the other clubs

I still dont quite get commentators saying they could be relegated to say league 1 or league 2. The EFL is a totally separate legal body to the EPL and has no jurisdiction to punish crimes committed in the EPL. Rangers was different as there was one governing body over the pro leagues in Scotland. So it will be a points reduction, a fine, transfer ban or expulsion. I strongly doubt expulsion would be used

The city owners are not used to people standing up to them and are effectively kings in their own country and because they never lose, hence their mindset of doubling down

whatever happens it will be messy

If they drop to the championship a points reduction cant be applied in the championship. Only can be applied if they are promoted back to the EPL

Back to top two now
Liverpool arsenal
This tells you ain’t going break top teams
Unless you bend the rules

Villa no chznce Newcastle owners allready know
Surly there be be off
It’s closed shop at top
City got there by any means now there going be banished to four corners of universe

Brighton model going well
But can’t see them
Joining top table
So if got new rich owner
There no breaking the top being legit

When do the police get involved?

They haven't got a snowball's chance in hell of paying compo to all the team's they've cheated if they don't have these owners cooking the books.

For all the 'red cartel' talk, Arsenal 1 league in 22 years, Pool 2 in 35, United 1 in 13. It's the blue clubs who have stolen the place of Newc Villa etc. You're not going to compete at the top without regular CL football and those 2 have taken 1-2 of the 4 spots for 20 years.

lance armstrong had his titles stripped for doping of the drugs rather than financial kind

there is a lot of money attached to winning the EPL - would this be repaid

Not sure how expunging Cheaty's results during those years would have impacted on winners, CL places and relegation but im sure someone will rerun the leagues on this basis

EPL hands are tied to a certain extent,like HMRC they agreed a deal/fine/compromise within the last yr with a club guilty of 70 offences,what atr  they saying
70 offences = FINE
70+ = expulsion
city,s defense will include citing chelsea,s punishment 24/7 in court

Im not sure that citing Chelsea is part of a defense more an argument for a more lenient sanction. Unfortunately for them the non cooperation issues will blow that out of the water

Not sure if this has been covered apologies if it has. Worst case scenario points deduction what happens if you have backed them to win something example as I have top NW club which they clearly will if no points deducted and doesn't this bring other trades for example outright premiership into question you could argue relegation same time given the connection to points less? I'm confused think that I done the lolly which seems a bit unfair sure will be something in small print when I put the bets on didn't seen anything bets might be subject to rulings etc like R4 for the horses.

Chelsea were forced to sell club.

The new owners discovered the cheating and reported it.

Man city cheated, and lied about cheating.

If the club is sold, then maybe the new owners will discover more cheating in the
years following the period covered by the emails.

The lack of compliance with epl is a major issue.

9 fixtures a week rather than 10 is hardly
a major issue for broadcasters and players
get a couple of games rest.

Citeh can continue to cheat in Europe unless
Madrid get them kicked out.

Man City will need to be expelled from the Premier League. This is an absolute must to send a n-nonsense message to any other club in the future. There are many English clubs with foreign owners some of whom are from countries with little or no governance on finance or ethics and fair play.

And, the present owners of Man City should be banned from owning any English club for at least 10 years. Deliberate and wanton cheating must not be part of English Football.

Back 'em for TOP N/W team & they are deducted points this season you lose the bet
if they finish lower than the other teams involved.Same with all bets, Relegation
as well as League Wnrs.All settled on their final League position, after deductions.

West Ham's aggregate record against the cheats since 2009 is about the worst between any 2 clubs in recent history. I wonder where West Ham would be now?!

If they are expelled they are not relegated

But who nose how betfair and otter bookies settle, arbing is a brave man's game

From purely betting perspective, surely 6.6 is a lay in the winners market currently?

Don't see how they will be allowed to win the league this year??

if fans think city,s titles are tainted assterixed, any team winning the title going forward without cityin ther lg will alo  be tainted,dont see any good new in thi for the EPL, any firessale of players who want to tay in EPL and are game changers,arsenal will get 1st refusal , and only city currently look like even pushing arsenal,uncompetitive lg with VAR, not a good sell for EPL

They cheated, removing cheats doesn't taint future champions.

Man City players should have to wear ankle tags.

rothko 30 Sep 26 11:17 

The city owners are not used to people standing up to them and are effectively kings in their own country and because they never lose, hence their mindset of doubling down

whatever happens it will be messy


This is at the heart of their continued denial, it's not so much them denying the charges it's more o them saying, so what, we an do what we like, isn't that what they said in one of those leaked e-mails, "We can do what we like", I hope the judges were all women, just to add insult to injury to them

It's got to do with honour as well, which is everything where they come from. Being labeled dishonest, a cheat/liar/fraudster is a black mark on your family or any other group you are a part of. May even have consequences for them as it's the ruler they bring shame on.

If they are worried about honour they
shouldn't have cheated. Quite simple.

Their refusal to accept they are cheats
will only make the punishment worse.

F I L T H

Anyone else a layer for the title win today? (today laying, not title win..)

Was it Nandy on the telly the other night wanting decisive action what a girl she knows what a thinker.

A points deduction is no penalty for a cheat of this magnitude. A demotion to the EFL Championship at the very least is necessary. In addition an imposition of a ban of 3 years from playing in the Champions League. A financial penalty of £500m 0r £1bn is no penalty to the owner.

The other option is an enforced change of ownership excluding any future purchase of Man City by a relative or business associate of Mr Mansour.

Que the wealthy Chinese. Any super-rich Chinese will want to buy Man City. Buying Man City means kudos and respect.

If Mancini got paid more for 4 days "consultancy" work than his actual Man City contract from the same sources, then if this is paid earnings from Abu Dhabi, then also prob no tax paid on it either, for work really undertaken in the UK.

Is that not also tax evasion as well as fraud?

I wonder how many players, managers had these double contracts? Could they all not face criminal proceedings for tax evasion if tax wasn't paid in the UK on those earnings?

They can’t be banned from the champions league a totally different jurisdiction
The doubling down from Cheaty is something to behold
Apparently they still have irrefutable evidence that they decided not to present to the hearing
but held it back for an appeal ffs the cheaty fans are being gaslit

PL appeal can't include new evidence.

Andy Burnham making his position clear, more worried about trade deals than the integrity of football, if you've got lots of money and are important you should be treated leniently seems to be his stance.

For the first time today I've started to entertain the possibility that they get off lightly, Burnham has contributed to this.

this is why pts deductions dont work, their working out a deduction for man city which would relegate the,but those pts wrould be different for every club,like everton getting 10 but 6 suspended to almost certainly knowingly not giving them enough to relegate them,
should the difference betweenchelsea holding their hands up be one staying in EPL and one playing non lg,lg 2 or even folding ?
putin invading ukr saved chelsea from been in the same position

But the Chelsea sale was forced.

New buyers paid all of that cash, hadn't cheated, and were sold a club where they discovered widescale cheating, which they declared.

Maybe that was a condition of the sale, that
reporting what they found would result in them being in same place, or else it's possible nobody would have taken on the club at anywhere near that price.

How much were Citeh worth 2 months ago, compared to what they would fetch today without an epl promise...

Not saying Chelsea treatment was fair, it
wasn't, they should have been downscaled to where they would have been without Russian doping above what was actually permissible.

Seems like that ship has sailed.

Citeh should have looked for similar deal, fessed up, said it's stopped, opened books, took the points and fines, and cracked on.

Threatening to withdraw all UK investments because they've been caught bang to rights seems a bizarre way to go on. Especially if
the doping may have continued in the years after those covered by the emails.

the everton and forest cases are not comparable to this - they were minor breaches of the financial rules
They cant be used to try and gauge what the points deduction for cheaty might be as this is unprecedented with no comparable case

Whilst its an independent panel that will determine the sanction i think but am not 100 per cent sure that the other EPL clubs need to still vote on expulsion with 15 needed to vote for expulsion

Size of points deduction should be based on severity of crime surely - that's why this one should be BIG.

Punishment should fit the crime.

There is no points deduction that fits this
mass cheating over many years.

The previous poi ts deductions were simple overspends not mass cheating events.

Overspends can be penalised as they happen

Hidden cheating can not, and retrospective punishment can fit crime.

There isn't even any evidence the cheating ever stopped.

https://taxpolicy.org.uk/2026/10/01/manchester-city-unpaid-tax/

..

Thats another line...

Just saw it
£12 million in UNPAID TAXES

Mancini a tax CHEAT

If what they've done is right, don't see City being in the Prem when punishment is dished out.
Thrown out or a big  Points deduction which leaves them in an impossible position to stay in it
for that season.

Mancini / Dettori. Seems to a trait...

6.6 to win premier.....2.7 to be relegated

They should drop into League 2 and start on -50 points.

Make it hard labour to get back.

I don't get their win price freddie - even if not relegated, they are almost certs to be penalised to stop them winning it. Should be 50s IMO for the title.

If you feel there is a FRAUD
Call Police ACTION FRAUD LINE
If 5 million fans ring up
The authorites may get the MESSAGE

I know everyone has different opinions , but i think whatever the other punishments the titles should be removed , there has to be a detterent to stop other clubs , today fines are pretty much irrelevant , even relegation to the championship will just be 1 season , other clubs could think , we can win lots of trophies and just spend 1 season in the championship and think its worth it .

stu 01 Oct 26 15:56 
I don't get their win price freddie - even if not relegated, they are almost certs to be penalised to stop them winning it. Should be 50s IMO for the title.

Yes, but will it be this season?

The owner apparently says he knew nothing about this stuff reminds me of sheik in Newmarket one guy took flak and got new employment in organisation.
Guilty no doubts and should face stiff punishment. Whatever is possible.
Bankrolling clubs outwith income coming in never ends well at any level in fitba.

The missing money was from the ab dbai
GOVERNMENT

The panel REJECTED this premise

Very likely Duffy - the other clubs are pointing to the regs stating about not making undue delays, which apparently are in the guidelines too.

Absolutely I agree, but the market is believing that it's nowhere near a done deal for this season and/or they get let off lightly, either way it should stop them winning the league but they should be 1.01 to be relegated and yet you can bet them at 13/8...WHY?

If they get booted they are not relegated

"Bobby in the shower" worked out for Dallas.

I've no idea what this is or what this means

In the early 1980s Dallas was the biggest show on TV. Worldwide. At the end of season 7 (?) one of the most popular characters, Bobby Ewing, was killed off. Season 8 proceeded with no Bobby and the ratings dipped somewhat. The executives figured it was because Bobby's fans stopped watching and that they needed to bring him back. But he was dead. So they just decided the end of season 7 and the whole of season 8 had been a dream Bobby's wife had. Season 9 opened with her finding Bobby in the shower and realizing that all the drama of the previous year had not happened.

But the fans of the show felt why had they wasted time watching season 8?, and maybe season 9 would turn out to be a dream too. The show declined and fell out of the top 50 in the ratings.

If City's titles are taking away then all the drama of the Aguero goal, Gerrard's slip etc becomes meaningless. No point showing clips of them anymore. A big chunk of PL history is just void.

Fans effectively told they wasted their time and money watching it all. But be sure to pay and watch the games this season!. Because they really will determine the ultimate champions! (unless they don't because it gets voided in a few years)

Awarding titles to beaten teams years later is ridiculous. Would Man United have a 2018 trophy presentation? Phil Jones and Fellaini coming back for the lap of honour... Mourinho throwing his medal in the crowd

Serie A had been overtaken by the premier league and la liga by 2006, yes. But it was still a close up third .

After they took the titles away from Juve interest plummeted and it has never got back to that level. Serie A lost it's UK TV deal which it had since the early 90s.

It's void anyway because they cheated.

Ben Johnson and Lance Armstrong went down
differing dq routes but ended up in same
shower as Citeh.

People counting trophies is like watching j r get shot, on loop, it happened or maybe it
was a dream,

Pep in danger of losing a few Barce trophies too, could end up distinctly average.

If the owner did not know where the colossal amount of money came to facilitate the numerous player transfers to help win trophies the Pope is a Muslim! Only a moron or a deceitful, dishonest and unfit owner did not know.

The longer Man City dug their heels in, claimed ignorance or did not agree with the verdict - all allegations were proven - the more severe the penalty. If the owner kept insisting he did not know then the owner is an unfit person to own a football club in England. Perhaps UEFA would take an interest.

I hope Man City is stripped of all their titles in England and Europe. A cheating entity cannot and must not benefit from their deliberate, deceitful and unsporting actions and behaviour. As for the sponsors of Man City I hope most, if not all, would request for their sponsorship monies back otherwise for not wanting to be seen to be complicit and condone the fraudulent actions of Man City.