Manchester City charges: What the reported verdict does and does not confirm
Manchester City’s long-running Premier League financial case has entered a new phase of public scrutiny after reports on September 25 said an independent commission had found the club in breach of all but one of the charges commonly described as the “115 charges.” The reported finding would be a major development, but it is not yet a publicly confirmed ruling. The Premier League has not published the commission’s decision or announced a punishment.
That distinction matters. The reports describe what people briefed on a confidential process say the commission decided. Supporters and rival clubs have not been given an official decision setting out which charges were upheld, which were rejected, or why. Manchester City, meanwhile, says the process remains ongoing and continues to insist that it can prove its innocence.
What the case is about
In February 2023, the Premier League referred alleged breaches of its rules by City to an independent commission. The allegations cover several types of conduct, rather than 115 identical claims. The league’s charge announcement questioned whether financial information supplied for seasons from 2009–10 through 2017–18 accurately represented matters including revenue, sponsorship and operating costs. It also set out allegations concerning details of manager and player remuneration, compliance with financial regulations, and the club’s cooperation with the league’s investigation.
These are Premier League disciplinary allegations, not criminal charges. City rejected them when they were announced. At the time, the club said it welcomed an independent commission’s review and maintained that evidence supported its position. The commission’s proceedings have been confidential, so the evidence and arguments in this case have not been available for the public to assess in full.
What has been reported
The September 25 reports say the commission found against City on nearly all the charges, with some accounts describing the outcome as findings on 114 of 115. They also indicate that the case has not reached a final resolution: questions about any sanction and the prospect of a challenge to the findings remain. Those accounts should not be treated as a published, charge-by-charge ruling.
The precise scope of any adverse findings is particularly important here. A reader cannot establish from a headline about “114 charges” whether every upheld charge carries the same significance, how the commission assessed the underlying financial information, or what it concluded about any individual allegation. Nor does a reported finding itself establish that a points deduction, relegation, fine or removal of titles has been ordered.
How Manchester City has responded
In a statement issued on September 25, City said the Premier League process was still ongoing, with significant elements yet to be completed and strict confidentiality in place. The club said its position remained consistent with its February 2023 denial. It also said it had respected the process while expecting the league’s leadership to act as an independent and fair-minded regulator. Those are the club’s assertions, not findings about the league’s conduct.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak then wrote to supporters, saying the process still had a long way to run and that the club remained confident in its effort to prove its innocence. He said confidentiality prevented him from sharing the reasons for that confidence publicly. His letter reinforces the club’s position; it does not disclose the commission’s decision or establish that the reports are wrong.
What is officially confirmed — and what comes next
The Premier League has officially confirmed that it referred alleged rule breaches to an independent commission in February 2023. It said the proceedings would be private and that the commission’s final award would be published on the league’s website. City has publicly confirmed that it disputes the allegations and that, in its view, substantial steps in the process remain.
As of September 29, the league has not publicly confirmed the reported verdict by publishing the commission’s findings. It has not officially identified the charge reportedly rejected, explained the reasoning behind any finding, or announced a sanction. Expectations of an appeal are not the same as confirmation that one has been filed.
For now, the clearest account separates three things: the charges the Premier League brought, the findings described in recent reports, and the final public outcome. Only the first is set out in the league’s charge announcement; the second remains reported rather than officially published; and the third, including any punishment, has yet to be announced.
