"Nothing has changed" was Khaldoon Al Mubarak's message to Manchester City supporters after Friday's reports that an independent commission had found the club guilty on all but one of 115 Premier League charges. The allegations relate to financial rule breaches between 2009 and 2018. Al Mubarak said he has been part of the club for 18 years and insisted City still expect to prove their innocence.
City's response to the reports
Al Mubarak's open letter leaned hard into continuity. "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," he said, while City added that "nothing has changed" despite "so much noise swirling around us." That is the line the club wants to hold on to, even after the reports first emerged on Friday.
City's own statement underlined the same point. The club said the Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements still to be completed and subject to strict confidentiality. It also said its position remains consistent with the statement it issued in February 2023. City were said to be surprised by the alleged breaches, given the amount of detailed material already supplied to the Premier League.
The legal fight is still open
The club's message is clearly aimed at preventing any sense that the case is finished. City said they had respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would act as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator.
The sporting side of this is awkward for anyone hoping the noise would knock City off course. Manchester City are top of the Premier League with 15 points from 5 games, and they have won their last five league matches. They have also won all five of their most recent matches across the Premier League, League Cup and Champions League.
The chairman's next statement will not matter nearly as much as the next steps in the process. City travel to Anfield in a fortnight, then host Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League back at Etihad Stadium.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
