MAN CITY GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES: Sham Contracts Used to Hide £900m in Massive Financial Scandal

*MAN CITY GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES: Sham Contracts Used to Hide £900m in Massive Financial Scandal*

*BREAKING — September 29, 2026*

Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges of serious financial breaches, in the biggest ruling in Premier League history.

An independent commission announced today that City systematically broke Premier League financial rules for nearly a decade — between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons — after a four-year investigation that began in 2019 and led to formal charges in February 2023.

The verdict is damning.

According to the Premier League statement, City:

“arranged ‘sham’ contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with a number of its commercial partners, as well as relying on ‘sham’ agreements with others, to artificially inflate the club’s revenues, and reduce its costs, by more than £900 million during the affected period, to appear to comply with financial rules.”

In detail, the commission found:

*1. The Disguised Funding Scheme:* City arranged sham commercial deals with sponsors where those companies were only required to pay a _portion_ of the sponsorship fee. The remainder — hundreds of millions — was secretly funded by *Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG)*, which owned the club.

*2. Hidden Costs:* Further sham arrangements, also funded by ADUG, were used to record lower operating expenses than the club actually incurred.

*3. The Fordham Loop:* A sham circular arrangement with Fordham, an entity that purchased the club’s players’ image rights, that was funded by ADUG.

*4. False Accounts:* The club “filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from its auditors and football regulators” and “clearly intended to circumvent the Premier League rules.”

The total distortion: *£900m / $1.19 billion* in inflated revenue and reduced costs, according to the league. Documents on the Premier League website put the specific disguised funding at £830.69m.

City were also found guilty of 3 of 4 charges of failing to co-operate, with the commission saying the club made “concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the PL investigation.”

Premier League CEO Richard Masters called it “the most significant” disciplinary case in Premier League history, adding: “The core decision details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade.”

*What City Said:*

The club said it is “disappointed and surprised” and will appeal by the October 2 deadline.

“The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions,” City said. “The opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.”

Chief Executive Ferran Soriano told staff in a video address the case is based on “a single false accusation” and the club will be “relentless” in fighting it.

*What Happens Next?*

Punishment has NOT been decided yet. A separate, private sanction hearing will follow.

If the guilty verdict stands after appeal, potential sanctions under Premier League rules include: massive points deductions, huge fines, relegation from the Premier League, and even stripping of titles won between 2009-2018.

City have won 8 Premier League titles since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2008.

For now, the 115 charges — 114 of which The Athletic reports were upheld — are no longer allegations. According to an independent commission, they are proven.

And the figure that will haunt the Etihad: £900 million