City guilty

The sentence aint even out yet and the hang'em-flog'em brigade are calling for the sort of extreme punishments not seen since Game of Thrones was on air.

Tober has nailed it with his Serie A analogy.
This City business could do reputational damage to English football.
Pretty soon we will be back to the bad old days of red cartel domination. A glass ceiling, investment drying up, the on-field product getting worse while La Liga runs away into the distance.

Thats the problem with this country. An olde worldy mentality of bitterness and resentment for innovation and success.
This could well be the day when the day the worm turned on the EPL.

We seem to have moved on from you pretending
that Citeh havnt cheated and there is no evidence.

Epl don't want the cheats

The other 3 leagues don't want the cheats

Where will they go?

Parma and Fiorentina were already going through financial collapses before that scandal as an example, Italian clubs were just badly run in general, had poor outdated infrastructure and were tactically being left behind, nowadays the league is more like the Premier League in terms of goals and attacking football, but that's coincided with a lot overseas players and managers coming in, probably at the expense of Italian players and the Italian National team, 3 World Cups in a row they have failed to qualify for. It's actually a miracle we're still producing some high quality English players given how few English players there actually is playing top level football, Italy have nobody near the quality of a Rice, Kane or Bellingham. Must have been the old skool defensive coaching at academy level that stunted their growth as the modern day, high pressing game came to the fore.

In the first place Man City are not cheats.
Some leaked information has slipped into the media implying that the 'independent commission' has upheld the charges against them by the EPL.
There is an appeals process.
Then a sanction process.
Until then City, as has been the history in this country in all legal cases since time immemorial (ie King Richard the Lionheart's reign for the unitiated), are innocent until proven guilty.

If the end result does go against them then I should expect City to take this matter to a higher court of law.
Especially if the EPL appears to be alleging in over 50 charges that City are guilty of 'inaccurate accounting'. Which could attract HMRC.
City would be well within their rights to attempt to clear their name.

Parma and Fiorentina were already going through financial collapses before that scandal as an example, Italian clubs were just badly run in general, had poor outdated infrastructure and were tactically being left behind, nowadays the league is more like the Premier League in terms of goals and attacking football, but that's coincided with a lot overseas players and managers coming in, probably at the expense of Italian players and the Italian National team, 3 World Cups in a row they have failed to qualify for. It's actually a miracle we're still producing some high quality English players given how few English players there actually is playing top level football, Italy have nobody near the quality of a Rice, Kane or Bellingham. Must have been the old skool defensive coaching at academy level that stunted their growth as the modern day, high pressing game came to the fore.

They are cheats, that's what thread is about.

They cheated to inflate their spending

Not once or twice but systematically over
years and left evidence of 114 occasions

Heaven knows how many more times they've cheated.

Now they are caught and wriggling

Declan Rice? Declan bl33ding Rice? Part of the 12% midfield that folded so cravenly to those lovabe Argies? The man who uses his Ingerlund celebrity to avoid a deserved red card v Brighton (humbled by Mourinho's Roma in the europa league a few years back by the way) and then weasles his way out of international duty... Do me a favour.

The cautionary tale of Serie A is of a financial bubble that did explode. Something that the EPL may want to take notice of particularly if they are hellbent on destroying the biggest name in their League.

And lets not forget what the Italians did in wembley 2021. My mind is a little hazy. Was that a 6th or 7th major international title?

Survived when cheating Citeh were in div 3

Easily survive without them again.

When City were in the third tier, the EPL was a one team league. Run for the benefit of Fergus and Man Utd. And way behind Serie A in most metrics. If thats what you want.

And btw, Innocent until proven guilty.

An outlier, they scrapped past Austria on in extra time, scrapped past a clapped out Belgium and Spain and England on penalties.

Rice was half fit at the World Cup but is generally indispensable for club and country.

But this is about City's cheating, if they had no made illegal payments to managers and players they would not have had the same success they had would they, I don't know why you are dressing this up, they have been caught bang to rights, the Premier League and it's lawyers would not have produced these factual findings are several years if they did not think it was any thing but concrete, watertight proof of their wrong doing, any subsequent appeal would just be doing what they've been doing all along, kicking the can down the road. They've never even had the decency to admit to a single charge, do you think they are innocent of all 114 then ?

They are simply a state run football club who's owners are not used to having to abide by law and being told what they can and can't do, what they can and can't spend, well now they have and they will pay the consequences of their illegal actions i.e. mass-scale financial doping that has changed the course of English football history.

Kind Regards.

Ingerlund scraped past the Congo.
But thats cup football..

All I know, and all you know for that matter Mes, is what is getting fed to us by the media. No statements from the EPL and nothing apart from a 'Je ne regrette rien' from Kaldoon..

All I am doing is inferring what is in the public domain. ESPNfc, an American broadcaster btw, has provided the only detailed info and they say that there are over 50 charges upheld by the 'independent commission' to do with 'accounting inaccuracies'.
That to me has to be the heart of the matter.

The rest, employee contracts, compliance, FFP transgressions are not going to be that big. I am saying this because the biggest info we have about this is Bobby Mancini and his coaching in the Arabian peninsular.  If KdB had been paid by Sheikh Mansour's wife or whatever then I think that would have come out. When it went wrong for Rangers we heard that HMRC were on them for paying players wages from an overseas trust for their picture rights. We knew pretty early on where the problem was for the Gers.
I could be wrong but I am commenting on what is out there.

So back to the 'acccounting inaccuracies'.
Like i said. There surely can be nothing illegal with the TV money as the EPL dole that out. So that leaves us with the Global partnerships. From where CIty fell foul before.
I believe it is logical to assume the issue is going to be 'fair market value' for the commercial revenues.
As it was before with the stadium rights
When the EPL are brandishing around terms such as 'innacurate accounting reporting' then that is potentially criminal activity which will attract the UK government.
I do not honestly believe that HMRC will care if Abu Dhabi tourism, Etihad, BeIn sport or whomever have paid over the odds. City will take it to a court of law, prove no wrong doing and will be exonerated. But thats just my take.

no wonder POOCH got sacked at SPURS,PSG,CHELSEA if he thinks

WILL I ARNT, was the difference between winning and losing the title to chelsea

That is a good point.

how many underachieving, overpaid, entitled bit-part players from an industry chock-full of underachieving, overpaid, entitled egos are going to come forward demanding some sort of 'reparation' payment from City?
Its going to look like the Versailles treaty at the end of World War I. When every two-bit nation tried to exact their pound of flesh out of the Germans.
And look where that ended up...

I mean, I follow the not-so-mighty Spurs and the notion we deserve an EPL title cos Roman paid a few agents a bit of bunce, well its risible.

For nothing else I call on all this Man City hate to cease. Less you want to see the EPL trophy for 2016-17 sitting in the hitherto dust-ridden Tottenham trophy cabinet...

given a fair wind spursey could mould alfie  haaland in to luther missit within 3 months

Plenty of chat about sanctions, relegations, expulsion, points and fines. If the verdict is published and upheld, what should happen is that  these owners be declare unfit and not "right and proper". Nothing to do with state ownership, just these particular people who will have demonstrated that they are happy to flout the rules. Of course it won't happen, the business as it stands could not be sold, other than to a proxy, but imagine if this lot were making a takeover bid now, knowing what we know.

Another valid point..

It will have to go down as one of the great modern wonders of the world...
How does a club which employed Luka Modric, Gareth Bale & Harry Kane... for much of this century... and for quite a few seasons haviing TWO of said gentlemen in the SAME side... fail to win a league, an FA CUP or a European trophy?

There are 92 professional clubs in english football and a good proportion of them I fancy might have done better. Maybe as many as half of them

Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 out of 115 Premier League financial charges by an independent panel. Cheats is a very apt description for the Abu Dhabi United Group led by Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon Al Mubarak. Mancini has acknowledged that he held a “double contract” when he was in charge at the Etihad Stadium, "having a double contract isn’t my problem but theirs".

Again.
INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.

All we have at the moment is a leaked story in the media.

As for Bobby Mancini. His contract got topped up for a few days work in Arabia. I understand the value was £1.75m for that venture. That is not going to get City relegated. Its a fine. At best.

35 charges are for not cooperating with the Premier League, why wouldn't they want to cooperate if they were innocent?

Maybe they thought they could time the Premier League out the same way they did with UEFA, where they were also guilty, and have been found guilty again for the same charges, only this time they can't be timed out.

I cannot comment on City's motivation for dealing with this inquiry.
Could be any one of dozens of reasons.

The pertinent point is that City are not going to get relegated for compliance issues.

Manchester City are no longer considered "innocent until proven guilty", as an independent panel has officially found the club guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League...

Nothing official about a story leaked to the media.
Especially one on which neither the EPL or City have bothered to comment.

How much would you bet on the leak being incorrect?

Of course it's correct, and it was leaked years ago.

The documents were leaked, you know they exist claiming the evidence of Citeh cheating is inadmissable.

Lol,

I understand that, but it is so widely reported from the Times to the New York Times, the BBC and to name just three. There is no way all these organisation publish without verifying sources.

The case against Man City is a private, commercial arbitration process bought by the Premier League, who forbid member clubs from taking domestic football disputes directly to the UK court system. It's a sports regulatory matter and not a criminal trial, no individuals face prison time, just sanctions along with the club.

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 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.