Independent commission found Manchester City club guilty of violating financial rules

The Premier League's independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of serious breaches of financial rules, One.uz reports.

The decision confirms that the club systematically violated financial regulations over a decade-long period. The independent commission found that Manchester City acted in breach of financial standards for nine consecutive seasons, attempting to undermine the league's assessment process and failing to comply with its cooperation obligations.

The investigation revealed not only rule violations but also the club's hostile and deceptive behavior toward the investigation. Fake sponsorship and concealed financing schemes During the investigation, it was established that Manchester City entered into sham agreements with its related-party companies, artificially inflating its revenues.

In this scheme, the related companies paid only a small portion of the contract amounts, while the remainder was financed by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG). This concealed financing scheme reached an amount exceeding £900 million, designed to artificially boost the club's income and reduce expenses to create the appearance of compliance with financial regulations.

As a result, the club concealed its true financial position from its auditors and football regulators. Premier League response and club's position Premier League chief executive Richard Masters emphasized that this is the most significant disciplinary case in the league's history, and the decision fully exposes the club's systematic breach of rules over its ten-year existence.

In response, Manchester City issued a statement outright rejecting the commission's findings, stating it believes itself to be completely innocent and intends to appeal the decision promptly, stressing that the ruling contains legal, principled, and factual errors, and affirming its commitment to defending its position.

Source: One.uz