Earlier on 29 September we reported that Manchester City did not consider this legal fight close to finished. The new development is firmer than that. The Premier League now says City "have been found guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18," moving the story on from legal positioning to the ruling itself.

That time span matters because it covers nearly a decade of alleged breaches, not a narrow accounting dispute. The league's statement also adds detail to the mechanism cited by the commission, including sham contracts and sham agreements used to alter the club's finances on paper.

The ruling and the language used

Quoted by BBC Sport, the Premier League said: "Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18."

The independent commission went further on the detail. It referred to "sham contracts" and to "relying on sham agreements to artificially inflate the club's revenues and reduce its costs". That is a serious description of how the alleged breaches were carried out, and it gives the ruling more substance than a bare guilty finding.

One other part of the statement should not be lost in the headline. City were also said to be guilty of the majority of charges in relation to failure to co-operate. No exact figure was given, so the relevant point is the breadth of the finding rather than any specific tally.

This is also why the update lands differently from the earlier reporting around the case. The previous story was about how City were framing the process and how long they expected it to run. This one is about what the league says the commission has now decided.

The off-field blow amid strong form

The awkward contrast for City is that the ruling arrives while results remain strong. They are top of the Premier League, have won each of their last five league matches, and have also taken 3 points from 1 Champions League game this season.

That does not change the ruling, but it does explain why this has become the dominant story around the club so quickly. A side leading the league would normally be discussed in football terms first. Instead, the commission's wording has pushed the case straight back to the front.

There is no need to overcomplicate that part. When a club at the top of the table is found guilty on all charges in a case stretching from 2009-10 to 2017-18, the football story and the legal story stop running separately.

What has changed since the earlier City coverage

The key difference from the earlier coverage is straightforward. Before, the focus was on City's insistence that the process still had a long way to go. Now the focus is the Premier League's confirmation that the commission found them guilty on all charges, plus the added detail around sham contracts with commercial partners.

That second element is especially damaging to City's public position because it goes beyond broad claims of rule-breaking and points to alleged methods. The commission said the club arranged sham contracts with commercial partners, and that accusation sits at the centre of the latest update.

What remains unresolved here is not the wording of the ruling reported by the league, but what follows from it. No sanction is set out in this update. The latest concrete facts are that City have been found guilty on all charges covering 2009-10 to 2017-18, and that the commission's ruling cites sham contracts and the majority of co-operation charges as well.

FAQ

What did the Premier League say about Manchester City's financial rules charges?

The Premier League said Manchester City were found guilty of all charges related to breaches of financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18. The ruling also said an independent commission found sham contracts and sham agreements were used to inflate revenue and reduce costs.

What period do the Manchester City charges cover?

The charges cover a long period, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. That span is central to the ruling confirmed by the Premier League, which said City were guilty of all charges tied to alleged financial rule breaches across those seasons.

Did the ruling mention sham contracts in the Manchester City case?

Yes. The independent commission said the club arranged sham contracts with commercial partners. The ruling also referred to sham agreements used to artificially inflate the club's revenues and reduce its costs.

Has any punishment for Manchester City been announced yet?

No punishment is included here. The confirmed update is that the Premier League says City were found guilty of all charges, and that the statement also said they were guilty of the majority of charges linked to failure to co-operate, without giving an exact figure.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →