Manchester City found guilty of majority of 115 Premier League financial rule breaches
Manchester City have been found guilty of the majority of the 115 financial rule breaches they were charged with, with a decision reportedly delivered on Friday. The verdict sent shockwaves through English football and leaves the club facing possible sanctions including points deduction, financial penalties or removal from the Premier League.
- Verdict: Man City found guilty of the majority of 115 financial rule breaches
- Charges: Brought forward in February 2023 relating to Premier League financial rules
- Alleged period: Breaches said to have taken place between 2009 and 2018
- Trophies in that period: Three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three EFL Cups
- Possible sanctions: Points deduction, financial penalties or removal from the Premier League
- Appeal: City have always denied wrongdoing and BBC Sport has been told they would appeal
What was said
"I am a bit shocked and stunned about how to process it. I imagine as time goes on it will just come with a tinge of disappointment, more than anything else. It is a really weird feeling to process. It has been such a good time over this last 10 years or so, it questions your own experience."
"On the one hand you've got this great enjoyment from the team you have supported all your life winning unprecedented success and playing football like we've never seen before. But then having in the back of your mind that everybody thinks we have cheated to do this and everybody thinks this is illegitimate, and that it hasn't been fairly achieved."
"If Manchester City are guilty then the City fans are just as much the victims in this as everybody else because their feelings have been used as well. It's just that they had a good time for 10 years and now have to face reality."
"I think I need therapy now. It has escalated over the last few hours. It's so hard to be a die-hard Blue. The decision is made, yet we haven't appealed it or really made a statement yet."
"I was there when Paul Dickov scored back in Division Two. We celebrated that success and went on to do incredible things. We have a song about going down with a billion in the bank. If we get titles taken off us, point deductions, we come out of this league, then we will fight until the end. I can't wait to see Erling Haaland bag a hat-trick against Grimsby."
"You go through the good times and the hard times. We have to go to Liverpool and it's going to be very interesting to see how we react. We boo the Champions League anthem, well what about the Premier League?"
"I was in Istanbul [for the 2023 Champions League final], that will never be taken away from me what I experienced that day, the build-up to the game and the game, and the day after, and everything that went along with it. That will never be taken away from me, regardless of what's been decided in the court or elsewhere along with the Premier League."
"You will never take away all the memories of all those moments and trophies from City fans. Those will live on regardless what happens over the next weeks, months and years. There are many fans who were there when we were in the lower divisions, and they will stick by the club. What we want as fans is an explanation as to why - if we have been found guilty - we have dragged it out so long. Some context behind it. True City fans, and fans who have been there all their lives, will still love the club dearly no matter what other people say."
The quotes reveal a supporter base grappling with a dual identity: pride in a decade of unprecedented success and unease that the achievements may be tainted. David Mooney's admission that the verdict "questions your own experience" captures the existential dimension for fans who have invested emotionally in every trophy.
Matt's defiant tone, referencing Paul Dickov's Division Two play-off heroics and the chant about "going down with a billion in the bank", shows a section of the fanbase ready to embrace a siege mentality. John and David Wilson, meanwhile, offer a more reflective response, clinging to memories like Istanbul and calling for transparency. This split will define the atmosphere around the club in the coming weeks.
The numbers
- 115: total financial rule breaches City were charged with
- February 2023: the month the initial charges were brought forward
- 2009-2018: the period during which the alleged breaches took place
- 3: Premier League titles won in that period, including their first in 2011-12
- 1: FA Cup won in that period
- 3: EFL Cups won in that period
- 100: Premier League goals reached by Erling Haaland faster than anyone in the competition's history
- 5: league games won by City so far this season, sitting top of the table
From Division Two to the Champions League: a club transformed
The current generation of City fans only know about success, but those from yesteryear remember watching their side in the old Division Two. Their promotion via the play-offs at the end of the 1998-99 season came after facing the likes of York City, Oldham Athletic and Chesterfield in the league.
Fast forward almost three decades, City now possess one of the best strikers in the world in Erling Haaland, who reached 100 Premier League goals faster than anyone in the competition's history. City sit top of the table after winning all five of their league games so far and their first game after the international break is a trip to face Liverpool at Anfield.
After missing out to Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final, City finally claimed the biggest prize in European club football two years later by beating Inter Milan. For many, it was an 'I was there' moment.
Why the fans feel betrayed
The emotional core of this story is not the legal process but the sense of betrayal among supporters. David Mooney's claim that "City fans are just as much the victims" is a striking argument: if the club's achievements were built on rule-breaking, then the fans' joy was built on a false premise. That is a difficult truth to confront after a decade of dominance.
Matt's reference to Paul Dickov's goal in Division Two and the song about "a billion in the bank" illustrates how City fans have long used gallows humour to cope with adversity. Now that humour may be tested by sanctions that could include points deductions or even removal from the Premier League.
John's Istanbul memory and David Wilson's plea for an explanation show that many supporters are not turning on the club. Instead, they want context and transparency. That puts pressure on City's hierarchy to communicate clearly once the appeal process begins.
Talking points
- Should City fans feel like victims, as David Mooney suggests, or does that argument let the club's ownership off the hook?
- If titles are stripped, will the memories of Aguero, Kompany and Haaland still feel as sweet to supporters?
- Matt wants to see Haaland score a hat-trick against Grimsby — is that defiant humour or a sign of deeper decline?
- City sit top of the table with five wins from five; a points deduction now would make the title race a different beast entirely.
What happens next
City face a trip to Liverpool at Anfield after the international break, a fixture that will now be charged with extra significance. The club is expected to appeal, and the fanbase awaits an official statement. Possible sanctions include a points deduction, financial penalties or even removal from the Premier League, all of which would reshape the season.
Frequently asked questions
What have Manchester City been found guilty of?
Manchester City have been found guilty of the majority of the 115 financial rule breaches they were charged with, relating to the Premier League's financial rules.
When were the charges brought against Manchester City?
The initial charges were brought forward in February 2023, relating to alleged breaches said to have taken place between 2009 and 2018.
What sanctions could Manchester City face?
Possible sanctions include a points deduction, financial penalties or even removal from the Premier League. City have always denied wrongdoing and BBC Sport has been told they would appeal.
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