Manchester City has appealed against a guilty verdict in the Premier League financial scandal

Manchester City have lodged an appeal against a decision by an independent commission that found the club guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, in a bid to overturn the verdict and avoid potentially severe penalties.

The league said on Tuesday that City used “bogus” commercial contracts as part of schemes to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900 million ($1.19 billion) over almost a decade.

City were found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the league’s financial rules over nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, as well as three of four charges relating to non-co-operation with the investigation.

The club, which had until the end of the day on Friday to appeal, denied wrongdoing throughout the process.

With potential sanctions including heavy fines, points deductions and other sporting penalties, and relegation or stripping also discussed as possible outcomes, the case could have league-wide implications.

“Manchester City Football Club can confirm that on Thursday 1 October 2026 at 7pm the club lodged a comprehensive appeal against the Premier League Commission’s opinion in relation to a Premier League disciplinary matter,” the club said in a statement.

“It is the club’s firm position that the opinion contains clear material errors, legal, principled and factual, for a number of reasons and is unsafe.

“The club is innocent of the allegations made by the Premier League and there is a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence to support all of its positions in this case.”

Appeals will be heard by an independent three-member panel appointed by the chairman of the league’s judicial panel.

“The club has appealed to the president of the judicial panel,” the league said in a statement. “The appeals board’s independent hearing will remain private and confidential until the outcome is permitted to be published.”

The Premier League’s new fast-track rules state that an appeal hearing should take place within 12 weeks of the appeal being lodged, with a decision given within 30 days of the hearing’s conclusion.

Some legal commentators expect City to argue that these rules did not exist when the club was originally charged in February 2023.

APPEALS ARE CONDUCTED PRIVATELY

The appeal will take place in private, just like the original hearing. The board will review the commission’s decision, but will not conduct a full case hearing.

The board may dismiss the appeal, allow it, remand the case back to the commission for further consideration, or vary the sanction or compensation order imposed.

The decision of the Appeals Committee is final and may not be appealed, except in limited circumstances that permit a subsequent arbitration process.

The city can also appeal against any sanctions separately.

It remains unclear whether the sanctions will be announced before the appeal is heard and whether they would take effect immediately.

A league official told Reuters they could not discuss the process for confidentiality reasons.

While the fate of the case remains unresolved, the season will continue and leaders City will be looking for a sixth straight league win when they visit Liverpool on October 11.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS

In its first public statement since announcing the commission’s findings, the Football Association said on Friday it was monitoring the case closely.

“The independent commission’s decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game,” the FA said in a statement.

“We are carefully considering the decision and its consequences and will take action if necessary.”

The consequences facing City could extend beyond football.

On Thursday, the chair of the parliamentary finance committee, Meg Hillier, asked HMRC what action it was taking in response to the committee’s findings.

Hillier said she had written to HMRC permanent secretary JP Marks after the independent commission’s decision was published on Tuesday that the club had committed “more than 100 individual breaches of Premier League rules” over many seasons.

Some sports lawyers have predicted years of further litigation as rival clubs, players and agents assess whether they may have grounds to pursue compensation claims linked to the case.

– The end