Manchester City's reported settlement talks with the Premier League fell apart before the verdict became public, according to Bloomberg. The reason was simple enough, City would not concede anything, and the club kept denying the charges while the case moved toward judgment.
The independent commission later found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them. Those allegations covered nine seasons, from 2009-2010 to 2017-2018, and included claims that commercial revenues were artificially inflated by more than £900 million.
The scale of the case
The size of the case is what makes the settlement report stand out. City were facing 115 charges in all, and the commission upheld three of the four accusations relating to the club's lack of cooperation during the investigation.
City have continued to insist on their innocence. In comments previously reported by SI, the club pointed to "irrefutable evidence", while Enzo Maresca, also quoted by SI, said the appeal outcome felt like a question of "when" rather than "if".
What comes next
The exact punishment still has not been set, and the range has been described publicly as potentially severe. What is clear is that this is no short dispute, it stretches across nine seasons and now carries 114 upheld charges behind it.
Liverpool are not part of the case itself, but City's off-field battle is now one of the biggest stories around the club before any final sanction arrives.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
