Manchester City have moved their disciplinary fight into its next phase, lodging a full appeal on Thursday evening against the findings reached in their Premier League case.
In the dressing room
The club confirmed that its appeal was submitted at 7pm on Thursday 1 October 2026. City say they reject every allegation brought against them and believe they hold compelling evidence in support of their case.
In their statement, City argued that the opinion against them contains significant errors in law, principle and fact, and said the finding could not safely stand. The club added that it would continue to follow the proper legal process and could say little more while the proceedings remain live.
There was, however, an important point of wording in the announcement. City referred to the commission as being connected to the Premier League, whereas the body which considered the case is independent of the competition.
The case behind the appeal
The independent commission found City guilty on all charges following its examination of the period from 2009-10 to 2017-18.
The findings held that the club used sham agreements involving commercial partners within a concealed funding arrangement, artificially increasing reported income by £830 million. It was also concluded that City’s accounts did not show the true state of their finances.
On that basis, the investigation found breaches of both Premier League and UEFA spending limits. City, managed by Enzo Maresca, maintain that they are innocent and will now seek to overturn the commission’s conclusions through the appeal process.
The week ahead
For now, there will be no running commentary from the Etihad. City have made their position plain, but the substance of the argument will be handled away from the pitch, with the club saying it must respect due process until every part of the case has been completed.
