Manchester City have been found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules during a period spanning the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons.
An independent Commission ruled that the club arranged “sham contracts” with several of its commercial partners and relied on sham agreements to artificially increase its revenues and reduce its costs.
The Premier League said City were also found guilty of the majority of charges concerning their failure to cooperate with its investigation.
According to a redacted version of the Commission’s report published by the Premier League, the case involved more than 100 alleged individual breaches of the competition’s rules across four broad categories.
The Commission found City guilty of every charge except one relating to the club’s non-cooperation with the Premier League investigation.
The report described the commercial arrangements as part of a “disguised funding scheme” worth £830.69m.
Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, said, “The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade.
“It also vindicates the Premier League’s decision to pursue this case against Manchester City. While the process to date has been both long and difficult, the League has remained determined that the facts be established independently.
“It is a key responsibility of the Premier League to ensure that the Rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition. It is paramount that the League remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously.”
