BREAKING - Manchester City Have Actually Been Found Guilty

Holy Shit, They are Guilty!

Batten down the hatches! Sound the alarm! Write the buzzword! Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the 115 FA charges that were first investigated in 2018. Who said the international break had slow news days!

The news has come from the Athletic's David Ornstein, who has confirmed that a Premier League panel has found them guilty of 114 out of the 115 charges brought against them eight years ago. The Citizens are set to appeal the verdict, and no sanctions have been decided yet, but the leaked verdict spells drama and uncertainty for Enzo Maresca and his side.

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City found guilty on virtually all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations. #MCFC expected to appeal against verdict issued by independent commission. Sanctions undecided, process ongoing @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/Muxqp4beK9

— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) September 25, 2026

The rumours have been floating around on social media for years as to what the eventual punishment is going to be for the Etihad side should they be found guilty of the breaches, with many believing that the sanctions could go as far as enforced relegations, potentially multiple times over.

Though the chances of that happening may seem incredibly unlikely, it has been implied that the punishment awaiting Manchester City could be severe. Now, with the news being broken by Ornstein today, the Premier League neutrals of the world are sat up in their seats with bated breath as we await further news of the trial.

Man City Found Guilty of Almost Every Charge

Given the spending power and mega-money behind Manchester City, a lot of Premier League fans expected them to be somehow let off of the hook for the alleged breaches being investigated.

The club were charged following investigations into potential financial rule breaches between 2009 and 2018, and the case was referred to an independent commission to adjudicate the charges. This investigation began after German news outler Der Spiegel published leaked financial documents from Man City back in late 2018.

They were then accused by the Premier League of failing to provide accurate financial information and the correct details of payments to players and coaches, as well as breaches of UEFA's FFP regulations and the English top flight's own profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). The club have consistently denied the allegations brought against them.

Under the ownership of Sheikh Mansour, whose Abu Dhabi United Group bought the club in 2008, City have won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups, seven League Cups and one Champions League title. Notably, six of those titles have come since the charges were brought against them.

Man City founded guilty of 114 of the 115 Charges.

114 Guilty Charges.

Surely this guarantees titles being stripped or a heavy points deduction so large is basically relegates them?

— 𝙇𝙞𝙖𝙢 (@OfficialVizeh) September 25, 2026

UEFA slapped City with a two-year ban from its competitions and a £26.8m fine following the leaks in 2018, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned this five months later, stating that the alleged FFP breaches were not 'established or time-barred'. This meant that, under UEFA's eyes, some of the alleged offences happened too long ago to be given a punishment.

But by failing to provide substantial evidence, City were found guilty of not co-operating with UEFA and were hit with an £8.8m fine after CAS deemed this charge to be "severe".

The Premier League and its CEO, Richard Masters, have been consistently pressured on the City case since the charges came to light over three years ago. Last month, Masters admitted that the process had "taken longer than expected", but claimed that the only thing they could reasonably do was to let the process run out.

In January 2024, Masters confirmed to a select committee for UK parliament that a date for City's hearing had been set, but he did not reveal when.

Everton got 8 points deducted for like 2 charges. Surely Man City are seeing step 4 football for this?

— Dylan White (@dylunwhite) September 25, 2026

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, on the other hand, said that the Premier League needed to become more 'balanced' in its approach to financial regulations, stating:

“I think the Premier League got to where it is today by being the most competitive league. So, I hope there is a bit more sensibility in regulating.”

During the period of the breaches, City won three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups as well as the Community Shield. Last season, they landed a domestic cup double under the final season of Pep Guardiola's decade in charge, but lost the Premier League crown to Arsenal.

Guardiola signed a new contract until June 2027 back in late 2024, and said he would remain in place as the manager even if the club were relegated as a result of any sanctions they face off the back of the charges. However, the iconic manager announced in May of this year that he would leave the club at the end of the season, and he was replaced by former protege Enzo Maresca.

Under the Italian, City have enjoyed a perfect start to the 2026/27 season with five wins from five, and currently sit top of the table after spending £450m during the summer window, which included the joint-British-record arrival of Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for £125m and the then English player record-breaking signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £115m (fitting) - this record was broken by Morgan Rogers' move to Chelsea for £1m more just a few weeks later.

What sanctions could City face?

As written by David Ornstein for The Athletic

The potential punishments are outlined in rule W.51 of the Premier League’s handbook, with a range of potential options for the panel to consider if City are found to have broken the rules.

Sanctions range from a reprimand and fines to points deductions — and even expulsion from the Premier League.

Any points deduction could be applied when the decision is made or retrospectively, raising the prospect of City being stripped of titles.

“I would expect that if there is a points deduction, it would be applied going forward,” James Hill, a legal director specialising in sports regulatory matters at Onside Law, told The Athletic in 2023.

“Generally, panels don’t like deciding titles in a court process. Doing it that way does not give a real tangible punishment to the club.” According to rule W.51.7, the panel could choose to combine any number of the punishments outlined in the rulebook or impose other sanctions they deem appropriate.

However, any punishment would need to be proportionate to the breaches in question or it could be overturned by appeal.