Manchester City could be exposed to further regulatory action after being found guilty in September on 114 charges concerning Premier League financial rule breaches between 2009 and 2018. The Citizens were deemed to have artificially boosted their revenue by £900million through 'sham' contracts across that nine-year spell, during which they collected eight trophies, including three league titles. While City immediately launched an appeal backed by what they maintain is a 'comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence', speculation suggests an unsuccessful appeal could yield an enormous points deduction that would consign them to multiple seasons in the Championship.
However, the club's predicament could intensify amid reports from The Independent that several executives and an increasing number of English football chiefs want the Premier League to investigate City for the seasons following 2018. Directors have pointed to the independent commission's findings that City and their Abu Dhabi-based sponsors operated as 'Related Parties', with sponsorship values inflated by disguised owner investment rather than evaluated at Fair Market Values. With City's accounted commercial figures remaining at the same level post-2018, an unnamed source questioned, "What changed overnight?"
Scrutinising City's subsequent era—a period in which the club secured a further five league crowns and the 2023 Champions League—presents a dilemma for league officials. The initial case was driven by leaked emails published by Der Spiegel in November 2018, and concerns exist that comparable grounds for an inquiry do not exist without similar documentation. Furthermore, such an inquiry might be deemed unnecessary should the initial guilty verdict be upheld alongside suitable punishments.
In their ongoing defence, City plan to re-submit Abu Dhabi government receipts and bank statements, arguing the original independent panel dismissed evidence demonstrating that state funds, rather than owner money, financed the sponsorship arrangements. The entire timeline may face significant disruptions, with financial expert Stefan Borson warning on White and Jordan that resolving the case will take time. Borson stated: "The preparation time required for the full appeal of the liability phase, i.e. whether they have done it or not - that to me can't be run while they're also being distracted on a sanction hearing. There's a lot of talk about how this is going to go quick. It just seems to me that it's very unlikely that that's the case."