Manchester City’s 115 Charges: Reported Findings Put Years of Delay Under the Spotlight
Everton and Nottingham Forest received points deductions within months. After years of proceedings against City, reports say most allegations were proven, but the commission has published no award or sanction.
Reports of findings in Manchester City’s long-running Premier League case have put the years of delay under fresh scrutiny. An independent commission has reportedly reached decisions on most of the alleged breaches, but its final award has not been published and no sanction has been announced.
Al Jazeera, citing The Athletic reported a more specific alleged outcome. Sky Sports separately reported that decisions had been reached and said it understood the process was moving towards an appeal stage. Neither report is the commission’s published award.
Manchester City said the process remains ongoing, with significant elements still to be completed. In a letter to supporters on September 26, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak reiterated the club’s confidence that it would prove its innocence. The club continues to deny the allegations.
Why did City’s case take years?
The Premier League referred City to an independent commission on February 6, 2023. Its allegations concern financial information and other rules across seasons from 2009/10 to 2017/18, plus later allegations about cooperation with the investigation. The league said the proceedings would be confidential and the final award would be published. Sky Sports reports that the private hearing ran from September 16 to December 6, 2024.
That scope differs materially from the recent profitability and sustainability cases involving Everton and Nottingham Forest. Everton received a 10-point deduction on November 17, 2023, reduced to six on appeal on February 26, 2024. Nottingham Forest were deducted four points on March 18, 2024, after being referred in January. Those cases involved different allegations, procedures and admissions, so their timelines are not direct precedents for City.
What about trophies, players and staff?
There is no official ruling on punishment, no confirmed appeal filing and no published commission reasoning. During the 2009/10–2017/18 seasons covered by the original allegations, City won three league titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups. That history does not establish that any trophy will be removed. Claims that players could leave or staff could lose their jobs are also speculative until a sanction and its practical consequences are known.
Pep Guardiola’s summer 2026 departure has not been shown to be connected to the case. In City’s announcement, he said he felt it was his time to leave the managerial post. He remains involved with City Football Group as a global ambassador.
What happens next?
The key outstanding documents are the independent commission’s final award, any sanction decision and any formal appeal notice. Until they are published, the reported findings must be attributed to the outlets reporting them rather than presented as an official final determination.
More on DSN: Everton Got Weeks. Forest Got Weeks. City Got Years. Now the Verdict Is In., Everton’s Points Deductions: How the Toffees Were Punished Twice in One Season and Nottingham Forest’s Four-Point Deduction: The Case Settled in Nine Weeks.
Our sister site DGBN has also covered Manchester City’s collapsed move for Cody Gakpo.
