The Athletic: Manchester City found guilty of breaching financial rules

Manchester City have been found guilty of "almost all counts" of charges related to financial rules violations. This is reported by The Athletic, citing an unnamed person familiar with the situation, but not authorized to make public statements.

A total of 115 charges were brought against Manchester City. According to the source, the fault of the club was proved on 114 counts. The punishment has not yet been determined, the proceedings are ongoing. Earlier it was reported that Manchester City could face the toughest sports sanctions, up to expulsion from the elite division and deprivation of titles. The club is expected to appeal.

A Manchester City spokesman said "many important stages" of the process, taking place "in strict confidentiality," "have yet to be completed." The club's position, he said, remains unchanged: it rejects all allegations.

The start of the investigation in February 2023 was reported by the English Premier League. It entrusted the case to an independent commission. The violations in question were committed by Manchester City between 2009 and 2018. This includes non-compliance with the financial fair play standards of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), registration of transfers bypassing the regulations and providing false reporting.

The scandal surrounding Manchester City's alleged financial irregularities began in 2018 with a series of publications in Der Spiegel magazine. He shared the results of an investigation conducted with Football Leaks. It examined several episodes involving the purchase of players under the age of 16, as well as a scheme to pay a "grey" salary to head coach Roberto Mancini.

Arnold Kabanov