Man City’s appeal is upheld after the Premier League was found guilty of 114 violations

Manchester City confirmed on Thursday night that they have given up their appeal against the independent commission’s ruling on their 114 breaches of Premier League rules.

City have been convicted of all but one of the charges against them between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, where they were found to have drawn up “false contracts” with commercial partners, reported paid players and staff and failed to cooperate with a Premier League investigation.

The city denied the charge and had until Friday to appeal, which is happening now. They said in a statement: “Manchester City Football Club can confirm at 7pm on Thursday 1 October 2026 the club’s comprehensive appeal against the decision of the Premier League commission, in relation to the disciplinary matter of the Premier League.

“The club’s firm position is that, for a complex reason, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is not safe. The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Supreme League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence for all its positions that pertain to this case. We will observe due cognizance and necessarily be restricted in what we can say further.”

The appeal comes amid widespread reports that the City intends to contest the sponsorship challenge for which it was sanctioned to be set up by the Abu Dhabi government rather than by its owner Sheikh Mansour and the owner of the Abu Dhabi United Vehicle Group. Such an explanation was presented to the initial committee, which concluded that it was a plan “well concocted after the event in an attempt to obscure and conceal the disguised Funding Scheme.”

Earlier on Friday, the English Football Association published a statement saying the city’s decision had “significant implications for the integrity of the game”, adding that they would “carefully consider the decision and its implications and take action where appropriate”.