Manchester City have vowed to prove their innocence after submitting an appeal of the guilty ruling against them over breaking the Premier League’s financial rules.
City have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the face of major accusations from the Premier League, with an independent commission finding the Cityzens guilty of intentionally inflating sponsorship figures and maliciously keeping the information away from the league.
An appeal was always expected, and City have now confirmed such action has been taken in another strong statement that lashed out at the initial ruling.
“Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7 p.m. on Thursday Oct.1, 2026 the Club lodged its comprehensive Appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter,” the statement read.
“The Club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.
“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, relating to this case.
“We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete.”
How Man City Plan to Prove Their Innocence
The key detail from the Premier League’s investigation into City surrounded the funding of a number of the club’s sponsorship deals.
The independent commission that ruled on the case decided that a number of deals had been funded primarily by the Abu Dhabi government, of which owner Sheikh Mansour is a member, rather than the companies with which the agreements were reached.
According to Sky Sports News, City plan to argue that the funding came directly from Abu Dhabi officials and actually had nothing to do with Sheikh Mansour. The club stressed that sponsors had simply applied for financial support from the Abu Dhabi government to fund their agreements with City, rather than the payments coming from Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG).
City believe this funding from the Abu Dhabi government is legitimate, whereas the Premier League argued it was from ADUG and, therefore, from Sheikh Mansour, whose levels of investment in the club are restricted by the league’s financial regulations.
This argument was actually used during the investigation but was bluntly rejected, with the commission ruling: “It was an explanation that the club had concocted well after the event in an attempt to conceal the realities of the Disguised Funding Scheme.”
Football Association Hints at More Charges
While City’s current legal battle is against the Premier League, they may face further accusations from the English Football Association (FA), which confirmed on Friday that it is awaiting a final verdict before considering its own action.
“The Independent Commission’s decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game,” the FA said in a statement. “We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate.
“As proceedings between the Premier League and Manchester City Football Club remain ongoing, we do not intend to comment further at this stage. We will, however, continue to monitor developments closely.”
City may also have to contend with the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) which, according to The Times, will not consider the relationship between the United Kingdom and Abu Dhabi when making its final verdict on the case, despite Bloomberg reporting increased tensions over the issue.
The IFR has the power to disqualify anybody deemed unfit to lead a club and could, in theory, issue a “removal direction” to force Sheikh Mansour to leave his role as owner.
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