Man City have been found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules by an independent commission; City have confirmed they will appeal against the ruling and have until Friday October 2 to do so
Wednesday 30 September 2026 19:52, UK
Sky Sports News reporters discuss how Manchester City being found guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of Premier League financial rules unfolded and where the situation develops from here…
The club continue to deny the breaches, with chief executive Ferran Soriano calling the process a "Premier League conspiracy theory" in a video message to players and staff.
The club have confirmed they will appeal against the ruling and have until Friday to do so.
Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol:
"If you look at the Premier League's own handbook, it says that the commission has the right to punish the club with a points deduction, a fine, a transfer ban, other sporting sanctions, and expulsion from the Premier League. It could be a combination of any of those.
"There will be a further hearing with the independent commission to address the issue of sanctions, where the Premier League will put forward what they think the punishment should be and Manchester City will argue their case.
"Then, the commission will go away and decide what the punishment should be.
"We are not going to find out what the punishment is anytime soon.
"I sense, reading between the lines, that the Premier League wants this concluded this season. Any points deductions can be applied this season.
"The Premier League is saying that Manchester City have the right to appeal the commission's filings and they have until Friday October 2 to exercise that right.
"When it comes to an appeal, you can't just say 'I'm angry, I'm going to appeal.' You have to have strong legal grounds."
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Sky Sports News' Amar Mehta:
"Barristers and lawyers across the country are working with Premier League clubs over the prospect of bringing further litigation against Manchester City, Sky Sports News understands.
"It is understood that clubs have instructed some of the top barristers in the UK to assess what legal options are potentially at their disposal, following the independent commission's verdict.
"No litigation has been filed yet, with sources telling Sky Sports News that clubs will wait for the outcome of the appeals process."
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Sky Sports News' Rob Dorsett:
"The independent commission has a lot of sanctioning options. There are heavy fines, there are points deductions, and at the extreme, expulsion from the Premier League.
"If City are to end up playing in the Championship, the only way they can get there is if they're given a very large points deduction, which means they are relegated on the field, if you like.
"If they're expelled from the Premier League, they're no longer a Premier League club. The independent panel cannot recommend what level they would rejoin the football pyramid at.
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"It's written into the EFL laws that any club that wants to rejoin the EFL, which is a separate body from the Premier League, has to rejoin at League Two, unless there's a vote by the member clubs, because the EFL, like the Premier League, represents the member clubs.
"The clubs would have to have a vote on where they wanted Manchester City to rejoin the football pyramid. Would those clubs want them to rejoin in the Championship? Can you imagine the Championship clubs wanting Manchester City to be in there with them, with all of their power?
"You have to remember as well that it causes problems for the numbers. If they were reintegrated at the Championship level, well, there would be 25 teams in the Championship. That wouldn't work. What would it mean for relegation going forward as well? It's very, very complicated."
Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol and Rob Dorsett:
"It is understood that any decision to expel Manchester City from the Premier League would need to be ratified with a vote by all other current Premier League clubs.
"If enough clubs voted for City to remain in the Premier League, they would not go on to be expelled. Premier League rules say that three-quarters of the clubs (15) would need to vote in favour of expulsion for that to happen.
"Expulsion is one option open to the independent commission, which will sit to consider a suitable punishment for City, after they were found guilty of all serious financial charges levelled at them by the Premier League.
"Other sanctioning possibilities include a fine, points deduction, transfer embargo, or forced replaying of matches (incredibly unlikely), and the commission could in due course order a combination of penalties.
"Other punishments, such as fines and points deductions, would not need to go to a Premier League vote."
Sky Sports News' Ben Ransom:
"The Premier League statement is really damning, with some really extreme language and this is where it gets really damaging for Man City as the commission says they found some witnesses gave false evidence and that when they did the accounts, they were overspending both the Premier League and UEFA's limits.
"And all in all, with the findings so heavily against Man City, it has sent shockwaves through football. It is incredibly damaging and you can understand why everyone in football is looking at this as such a huge moment not just for Man City, but in the history of the Premier League.
"City are clearly really hurt, but they have been working on their defence since the article in Der Spiegel in 2018 and it is clear in Ferran Soriano's words that he thinks the panel has glossed over the Man City evidence, which he says is irrefutable.
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"But the panel did look at their evidence and said that parts of Man City's case was dishonest, which is incredibly damaging."
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Exclusive by Sky Sports News reporters Anthony Joseph and Adrian Kajumba:
"Several Manchester City sponsors are standing by the club in the wake of the guilty verdict.
"Lucozade, Kellogg's and Revolut have all told Sky Sports News they are not commenting on the independent commission's findings while the process remains ongoing."
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Source: Sky
