MANCHESTER – In what is being described as the most significant scandal in the history of the Premier League, Manchester City has been found guilty of orchestrating a sophisticated, multi-year scheme to circumvent financial fair-play rules. An independent investigatory panel released bombshell findings Tuesday, concluding that the club used “sham” deals to disguise massive payments from its Emirati ownership.
The findings, which cover the period from 2009 to 2018, paint a picture of a club desperate to reshape the landscape of global soccer by spending far beyond its legitimate earnings. According to the Premier League, City relied on its owner, the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG)—controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan—to secretly bankroll the club while masking the funds as commercial revenue.
The panel’s report details a “Disguised Funding Scheme” in which City entered into sponsorship agreements with Abu Dhabi-based entities that were valued well above market rates. Crucially, the agreements were structured so that sponsors paid only a fraction of the fees, with the bulk of the remainder covered directly by ADUG. Over the nine-year period, investigators found that of the £949.94 million ($1.26 billion) recorded in club accounts as sponsorship income, nearly £831 million ($1.1 billion) was paid by the owner, not the sponsors.
“The club’s conduct amounted to extremely serious, significant, sustained and intentional or reckless breaches,” the panel wrote, noting that the rules circumvented are “critical to the proper and fair operation” of the league.
Beyond sponsorship inflation, the panel identified the “Fordham Agreement,” a vehicle used to purchase player image rights that investigators labeled as “little more than a front.” The arrangement allowed the club to hide operating expenses and falsely present owner-injected capital as legitimate operating income. Additionally, the investigation unearthed evidence of supplemented player and staff salaries, sometimes funneled through clandestine consultancy agreements.
The club, which has transformed into a global powerhouse by securing superstar talent and world-class managers like Pep Guardiola, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In its defense, City claimed the sponsorship funding was supplemented by the Abu Dhabi government—a narrative the independent panel rejected as a post-hoc fabrication intended to “obscure and conceal the realities” of the financial scheme.
The panel was scathing in its assessment of the club’s cooperation, alleging that witnesses presented by City provided evidence that was “dishonest” and “false in a number of key respects.”
Following the verdict, Manchester City now faces potential sanctions that could be as severe as expulsion from the Premier League. The club has already announced its intention to appeal the findings. As the legal battle enters this next, high-stakes phase, the sport faces a watershed moment that threatens to undermine the legacy of a decade defined by City’s dominance.
Disclaimer: This content is auto-generated for informational purposes only.
Source: Read Original News
