Manchester City have formally appealed an independent commission’s verdict that found the club guilty of serious violations of Premier League financial regulations. The club is seeking to overturn the decision and evade potentially severe penalties, including points deductions or expulsion from the league.
On Tuesday, the Premier League announced that City utilized “sham” commercial agreements to artificially boost revenue and conceal costs by more than £900 million ($1.19bn) over nearly a decade. The commission ruled that the club was guilty of all charges related to financial rule breaches across nine seasons from 2009-2010 to 2017-2018, as well as three of four charges concerning failures to cooperate with the investigation.
In a statement issued on Friday, the club confirmed it filed its appeal at 7pm on October 1, 2026. “The Club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe,” the statement read. “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 appeal will be reviewed by an independent three-member board appointed by the chairperson of the league’s Judicial Panel. While the original hearings were held in private, the appeal process will remain confidential until a decision is published. According to Premier League rules, a hearing must occur within 12 weeks of the appeal being lodged, with a final decision required within 30 days of that hearing. The board will examine the commission’s decision but will not conduct a full rehearing of the case.
Potential outcomes include dismissing the appeal, allowing it, referring the matter back to the commission, or altering any sanctions. The board’s decision is final, with limited exceptions for subsequent arbitration. Sanctions under consideration range from reprimands and fines to point deductions, suspension, or in the most severe scenario, expulsion from English football’s top flight. No team has ever been expelled from the Premier League.
Central to the appeal is likely to be the funding source of sponsorship deals tied to Abu Dhabi. The commission determined that sponsors in Abu Dhabi contributed only £119.25 million of the £949.94 million recorded in club accounts, with the remainder provided by the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG), the private company of owner Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. City had argued that the Abu Dhabi government funded the deals, not the ADUG, a claim the commission rejected as a post-hoc fabrication.
City CEO Ferran Soriano addressed staff in an internal video obtained by Sky News, stating: “The whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation: that the owner’s personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi. This is just not true.”
The Football Association (FA) also issued its first public comment on Friday, expressing concern that the scandal has impacted the “integrity” of the game. The FA stated it is carefully considering the implications and will take appropriate action, while declining to provide further details due to ongoing proceedings.
It remains unclear whether any sanctions will be announced before the appeal is heard or if they would take immediate effect. In the meantime, the 2026-2027 season continues, with league leaders City set to face Liverpool on October 11 in search of their sixth consecutive victory.
Expulsion from the league sounds extreme, but if the evidence is as damning as stated, do they deserve any leniency at all?
Did they really call over nine hundred million in revenue ‘sham’? That is a staggering amount of money to potentially have been fabricated.
This feels like a massive distraction for City right now. Can they really stay focused with the Premier League title race on the line?