29/09/2026
π¨ More details from Premier League statement on Manchester City.
The independent Commission found that Manchester City arranged βshamβ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors during the period, which were part of a disguised funding scheme, whereby those companies were only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees. The remainder was funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club. As part of the scheme, further βshamβ arrangements, funded by ADUG, were entered into to enable the club to record lower operating expenses than it actually incurred, as well as a βshamβ circular arrangement with Fordham, an entity that purchased the clubβs playersβ image rights, that was funded by ADUG.
The purpose of these schemes was found to have been to artificially inflate the clubβs revenues, and reduce its costs, by more than Β£900 million during the affected period, to appear to comply with financial rules. The consequence of this, as the Commission found, was that the club filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from its auditors and football regulators. The Commission concluded that βby its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rulesβ.
As a result, Manchester City failed to accurately report its income and expenditure for the purposes of the Premier Leagueβs Profitability and Sustainability Rules and UEFAβs Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Rules. The Commission found that, had all of the relevant agreements been reported accurately in the clubβs accounts, it would have been in breach of both the Leagueβs and UEFAβs spending limits by a very substantial amount.
Romano
