Manchester City’s legal fight with the Premier League could drag on for years, despite reports a decision has been reached over the club’s 115 alleged financial breaches.
Sky Sports News and the BBC report City chief executive Ferran Soriano reportedly told a meeting of fellow Premier League club executives that the battle between the two parties could take years to conclude.
CITY SAGA: EPL giants reportedly found guilty of 114 charges – the timeline, what you need to know
Neither the Premier League nor Manchester City has confirmed those reported findings.
City responded by insisting the process remained “ongoing, with significant elements to be completed”, while the Premier League has declined to comment because of the confidential nature of proceedings.
According to Sky Sports News, Soriano made the comments during a private meeting of the executive board of the European Football Clubs’ involving representatives from Premier League clubs in Copenhagen on Monday (Tuesday AEST), with the City CEO indicating the wider dispute could continue for years.
The Press Association reported, Soriano told fellow executives: “It’s taken eight years to get here and it’s going to take a lot more time” – a reference to the Premier League investigation, which began in 2018.
City’s position was reinforced over the weekend by chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who told supporters the 10-time Premier League champions remained confident they would clear their name.
“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,” Al Mubarak said.
“There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position.
“But the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it means I cannot do that at the moment. Even this letter underwent several legal checks to make sure it complies.”
City have consistently denied wrongdoing since the Premier League referred the club to an independent commission in February 2023 over more than 100 alleged breaches of its financial rules.
The charges relate to a period between 2009 and 2018 and include allegations City failed to provide accurate financial information, as well as subsequent allegations concerning co-operation with the Premier League’s investigation.
An independent commission began hearing the case in September 2024, with proceedings concluding after 12 weeks in December of that year.
City are expected to appeal any adverse ruling, meaning the case that has already stretched across several years could be far from over.
Manchester City v the Premier League: a timeline
2018
November – German outlet Der Spiegel publishes what it says are internal emails from City which it alleged outlined schemes by the club to cover up sources of income in a bid to comply with financial fair play regulations. The information published by Der Spiegel was unearthed by the Football Leaks website, founded by Rui Pinto – a Portuguese computer hacker. City did not dispute the authenticity of the emails but said the club would not be providing comment on “out-of-context materials purportedly hacked or stolen from City Football Group and Manchester City personnel and associated people”. European soccer’s governing body UEFA starts a review of the case, which also sparks a Premier League investigation.
2019
March 7 – As Der Spiegel continues to publish internal City documents, UEFA opens a formal investigation. City say the opening of the investigation is “an opportunity to bring to an end the speculation resulting from the illegal hacking and out-of-context publication of City emails”.
May 14 – City say they have provided “comprehensive proof” financial regulations were not broken and the accusations are “entirely false”.
2020
February 14 – City banned from the Champions League for two seasons by UEFA for “serious breaches” of spending rules and failing to co-operate with investigators. City also fined 30 million euros ($A49 million). City called UEFA’s investigation “flawed” and announce plans to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
July 13 – City overturn Champions League ban after CAS upholds the club’s appeal, saying some UEFA allegations were not proven and others were “time-barred”. CAS imposes a 10 million euros fine on City for failing to co-operate with independent investigators.
2023
February 6 – City referred to an independent commission by the Premier League, which alleges more than 100 breaches of financial rules by the club, including providing misleading information about finances from 2009-18 and a subsequent failure to co-operate with the league’s investigation. City say there is a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” to counter the allegations.
May 24 – City win the Premier League for a fifth time in six seasons and manager Pep Guardiola says he wants the financial charges dealt with “as soon as possible”.
September 11 – Rui Pinto given a suspended prison sentence of four years after being convicted by a Lisbon court of five counts of unauthorised entry into computer systems, three counts of intercepting correspondence for accessing emails, and one count of attempted extortion. During his trial, Pinto admitted being behind the information published on the website that was set up in 2015 but argued he was a whistleblower, not a criminal.
2024
September 16 – An independent commission, comprising three judges, begins the hearing into the Premier League charges against City.
December 6 – The hearing ends after 12 weeks, with no announcement over an expected date for the verdict.
2026
September 25 – Multiple outlets report City have been found guilty of all but one of the charges laid by the Premier League.
