MANCHESTER — Manchester City have been found guilty of the majority of financial rule breaches from their 115 charges, 1,329 days after they were charged and two years and 10 days since the hearing began, leaving the Premier League facing prolonged chaos and uncertainty over punishment. The verdict was not announced by the Premier League or the club but was broken by the Athletic, with BBC Sport later told the verdict was sent during the week to club executives who had to sign a non-disclosure agreement to open the file.
Public silence from the Premier League continues, while City did not address whether they had been found guilty in a statement making it clear that the "process remains ongoing" from their point of view, with an appeal expected. The club have always insisted they have done nothing wrong, and the long-awaited decision of the independent panel appears not to be nearing an end but reaching the end of the beginning, with the circle of trust expanding increasing the chance of information getting out.
Deciding punishment should be quicker than ascertaining guilt, but BBC Sport has been told a sanction hearing convened by the independent panel could still be months away and the result may not be published until the appeal is completed. At that hearing everything will be on the table — fines, points deductions and even demotion — which differs from Chelsea's case earlier this year when the Stamford Bridge club self-reported and admitted guilt to negotiate a sanctioning agreement. That route remains possible for City but seems unlikely given consistently strong denials, and the panel will have to comb through hundreds of pages of evidence. The scale points to a large penalty: Everton were docked six points, reduced from 10 on appeal, and then two points in separate cases for profit and sustainability rules breaches, while Nottingham Forest were deducted four points for what were considered minor breaches, compared to City facing seven separate charges on PSR breaches in the Premier League alone plus a further five related to Uefa competitions, alongside allegations of inflated sponsorship revenue channelled through companies' accounts to meet financial fair play rules, payments to players and managers, and failure to comply with investigations.
That record places an asterisk against the Premier League between 2009 and 2018, a period in which Chelsea and Manchester City were two of the competition's most successful clubs — while Chelsea admitted effectively cheating, City have now been found guilty of getting around financial rules to sign more expensive players than their finances should have permitted. The inertia raises immediate integrity questions: Enzo Maresca's side go to Liverpool on 11 October when the Premier League resumes after the international break and could go six points clear at the top, but is that now rendered meaningless if no sanction is decided this season? Coventry are third from bottom right now — what if they finish there, are relegated, but would have stayed up had City's punishment come this season? A penalty backdated to this season when finally awarded is considered unlikely.
The usual process when any points penalty is handed down is that it is applied immediately, subject to appeal, and it could be so large that it is effectively a relegation, while it is unclear how a revocation of City's Premier League membership might be applied mid-season. A huge fine also remains possible although that would seem unlikely given points deductions to other clubs. While Premier League regulations ordinarily allow 14 days to appeal, it is unclear whether those timelines directly apply here as neither the league nor City have passed comment on whether that clock has started. There is a strong argument a sanctioning agreement is the cleanest way out, but it may not be palatable to the league as it would require negotiating a lesser punishment with City, with clubs already seeking legal advice over compensation claims following the verdict confirming City's guilt on the majority of charges.