DELETECITY

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The case, as it stands.

What has been published, said and reported about the case against Manchester City, by whom and when, as of 29 September 2026. Newest first. The site takes no side and predicts no sanction.

29 September 2026: the decision is published

  • The Premier League published a redacted copy of the independent Commission's Core Decision, which the League says the Commission has ruled is a “final award”.

    “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.”

    “Now that the charges have been proved, the issue of sanction will be addressed separately in a further hearing with the independent Commission.”

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

  • The Commission's findings, from the Core Decision: charges 1(A)–1(D), 2 and 3 proved; the co-operation charges 4(A) (in the majority of respects), 4(C) and 4(D) proved; 4(B) not proved.

  • Richard Masters, Premier League chief executive:

    “This disciplinary case, and this decision, are the most significant in Premier League history.”

  • Manchester City, statement published at 17:00:

    “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.”

    City say “the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe”, and that the club will “now pursue the appeal avenues open to it”.

Sources: Premier League statement · Core Decision, redacted (PDF) · Manchester City statement

Where it stands

  1. 29 September 2026No sanction has been announced, and no appeal had been reported as lodged when this page was checked.
  2. 26 Sep 2026Sky Sports reported that a separate hearing would decide sanctions. The Independent reported on 25 September that any sanction is delayed until an appeal is complete. The order of findings, sanction and appeal had not been officially confirmed. (Sky Sports; The Independent via Yahoo)
  3. 25 Sep 2026BBC Sport, The Athletic and Sky Sports reported that the commission had found City in breach of Premier League rules. The Premier League had not published the decision and declined to comment. Reports differ on how many charges the finding covers. (BBC Sport via Yahoo; Sky Sports; beIN Sports, relaying The Athletic and Reuters)
  4. 25 Sep 2026City's statement, as quoted by Sky Sports, BBC and Goal: “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality.” Sky Sports reported the process “is now moving to the appeal stage”; Reuters and BBC Sport reported that City are expected to appeal. (Sky Sports)
  5. 16 Sep – 6 Dec 2024The hearing ran before a three-person independent commission. (Sky Sports)
  6. 6 Feb 2023The Premier League referred alleged breaches by Manchester City to an independent commission. The charges cover financial reporting (2009/10 to 2017/18), manager pay (2009/10 to 2012/13) and player pay (2010/11 to 2015/16). They also cover UEFA licensing and financial fair play compliance (2013/14 to 2017/18), profitability and sustainability (2015/16 to 2017/18), and cooperation with the investigation (December 2018 to February 2023). (Premier League statement)

What a commission can impose, as reported

Reporting describes a list of sanctions in Section W of the Premier League's rules.

  • Sky Sports (26 Sep 2026) lists what the rulebook permits: suspending a club from matches, points deductions, a recommendation to the league's board that matches be replayed, and a recommendation of expulsion. It also lists cancelling player registrations, compensation orders, costs orders and “such other order as it thinks fit”. Sky says there is no set sanctions grid.
  • The Athletic (September 2026) says the potential punishments range from a reprimand and fines to points deductions and expulsion.
  • The appeal route, as reported: either party may appeal within 14 days to a new three-person Appeal Board. One of its members must have held judicial office, and its proceedings are confidential (Sky Sports, 26 Sep 2026; The Independent, 25 Sep 2026). Whether a further route to the Court of Arbitration for Sport exists is reported differently: Sky Sports and The Independent say it does not; CBS Sports (26 Sep 2026) says City could pursue it.

The notices

On 14 November 2024 The Times reported that Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham had lodged legal notices reserving the right to claim compensation if City were found in breach. The same report said the clubs had been advised that the six-year limitation period could potentially date back to November 2018, when Der Spiegel first published allegations against City. It said the notices had been lodged over concerns the clubs could be out of time if they waited.

Here is where those four stand on the Ledger, real → without City.

  • Man Utd

    Titles
    2 real , 4 without City
    Top four
    6 real , 7 without City
    Champions League places
    6 real , 7 without City

    Champions in 2011/12 and 2017/18; fourth, and a Champions League place, in 2015/16; a place higher in 2014/15, skipping the play-off round.

  • Spurs

    Titles
    0 real , 0 without City
    Top four
    5 real , 8 without City
    Champions League places
    4 real , 8 without City

    Second in 2011/12, a Champions League place; fourth in 2010/11, 2012/13 and 2014/15, each a Champions League place through the play-off round.

  • Liverpool

    Titles
    0 real , 1 without City
    Top four
    3 real , 3 without City
    Champions League places
    3 real , 3 without City

    Champions in 2013/14; fifth, and the Europa League place, in 2010/11 and 2012/13.

  • Arsenal

    Titles
    0 real , 0 without City
    Top four
    7 real , 8 without City
    Champions League places
    7 real , 8 without City

    Third in 2016/17, a Champions League place; a place higher in 2010/11, 2012/13 and 2013/14, skipping the play-off round.

Between them: the three titles that change hands, United two and Liverpool one, and six more Champions League places by league position, 20 to 26.

The last of these nine seasons ended on 13 May 2018. All nine ended before November 2018, the month Der Spiegel first published the allegations and the date in the reported advice.

How far back a claim could reach is a matter for argument. Norton Rose Fulbright noted in September 2025 that the six-year period under the Limitation Act 1980 may be extended where a breach was unknown to the claimant, subject to a 15-year long-stop. The same note said City may argue that any breaches before the 2010/11 season at least are already out of time. The clubs, it said, may argue they had no knowledge of any breach until the panel's judgment.

What has happened elsewhere

Every Premier League points deduction and major financial sanction in our research files, with Leicester's EFL deduction for comparison.

Precedents: points deductions and financial sanctions
ClubPointsFineWhat happenedSource
Chelsea, Abramovich-era breachesnone£10.75m (Premier League, 17 Mar 2026); £10m (FA, 31 Jul 2026); €10m (UEFA, Jul 2023)The Premier League fine, the largest in its history, came with a one-year transfer ban suspended for two years, in an agreed settlement over £47.5m of undisclosed payments that Chelsea self-reported. No points deduction.Malay Mail; Sky Sports
Leicester City (EFL), 2022–24−6noneA Premier League commission found a breach of the EFL's rules on 5 Feb 2026; the deduction was applied in the 2025/26 Championship and upheld on appeal on 8 Apr 2026. Not a Premier League deduction.Premier League; Premier League
Nottingham Forest, 2023/24−4noneDeducted on 18 Mar 2024 for breaching profitability and sustainability rules (2022/23); the club admitted the breach. Appeal dismissed on 7 May 2024. Finished 17th and stayed up.Premier League; Premier League
Everton, 2023/24−10, cut to −6; then −2noneTen points on 17 Nov 2023 for breaching profitability and sustainability rules (period to 2021/22), reduced to six on appeal on 26 Feb 2024; a further two on 8 Apr 2024 (2022/23). Finished 15th on 40 points.Premier League; Premier League
Portsmouth, 2009/10−9noneDeducted on 17 Mar 2010 after entering administration, the first Premier League club to do so. Finished 20th on 19 points; relegated in April 2010.Sky Sports; Al Jazeera
Middlesbrough, 1996/97−3£50,000 plus costsDocked on 15 Jan 1997 for postponing a match against Blackburn scheduled for 21 Dec 1996. The points were not restored; finished 19th and relegated.The Irish Times

For context, The Independent recalled on 25 Sep 2026 that in February 2020 UEFA fined City €30m and banned them from European competition for two years. Later that year the Court of Arbitration for Sport lifted the ban and cut the fine to €10m.

Club against club

  1. 15 Jul 2026Leeds v Leicester. The Athletic reported that Leeds had served a statement of claim against Leicester over the 2023/24 Championship season, which Leicester won while in breach of the EFL's rules. The claim is pending; a hearing is reportedly not due until summer 2027. (Goal, relaying The Athletic)
  2. 10 Jun 2026Burnley v Everton. A Premier League commission ordered Everton to pay Burnley £35.1m, £26m in damages plus £9.1m in interest, over Burnley's 2021/22 relegation. Everton have appealed, and the award is not final. (Sky Sports; The Independent via Yahoo)
  3. 24 Sep 2025Leeds v Everton. Everton settled Leeds' claim over Everton's 2021/22 breach; the terms were not disclosed. (ESPN)
  4. 16 Mar 2009Sheffield United v West Ham (the Tevez affair). A tribunal found on 18 Sep 2008 that West Ham's breach over Carlos Tevez in 2006/07 caused Sheffield United's relegation. The clubs announced a settlement on 16 Mar 2009, reported at around £20m; the clubs did not disclose the figure. (The National; FourFourTwo)

What the clubs have said

  1. 26 Sep 2026City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak: “The Premier League process still has a long way to run” and “our confidence and intent in proving the Club's innocence is just as strong as when this began.” (Manchester City, letter to fans; Sky Sports)
  2. 26 Sep 2026Manchester United and Tottenham declined to comment on the reports; Arsenal and Liverpool were contacted and no response was reported. (Football365, relaying The Independent)
  3. 4 Aug 2025Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, in an interview with City AM: “All I would say is that it's going through a process which I think has gone on for far too long. It needs to be brought, for the good of the game, to a conclusion one way or another.” (City AM)

Checked 29 September 2026. Re-checked against the latest official statements and reporting before every release.