Business & Markets
Manchester City files appeal of Premier League financial ruling
The appeal hearing is expected within 12 weeks under league rules and will remain private; the commission found serious breaches from 2009 to 2018.
Executive summary
- The filing: Manchester City said it lodged a comprehensive appeal at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, before the Premier League's Friday deadline. The club argues that the commission's opinion contains material errors; those are the club's claims, not findings by the appeal board.[1][2][3]
- What is under review: An independent commission found serious financial-rule breaches spanning nine Premier League seasons, from 2009-10 through 2017-18. City denies wrongdoing. The appeal has not produced a new ruling or a sanction.[4][3]
- What comes next: The appeal will go to a three-member board. The Associated Press reports the league's rules call for a hearing within 12 weeks of filing; the league says the hearing and outcome remain confidential until publication is permitted. The timing of any separate sanctions decision is not clear.[3][4]
Manchester City says it lodged a comprehensive appeal against the Premier League commission's financial-rule findings at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1. The club's statement says it believes the opinion contains material errors of law, principle and fact. The Premier League separately confirmed the appeal, and the Associated Press reported the filing; the appeal board has not ruled on it.[1][2][3]
The filing advances the case beyond the appeal threat City made after the commission published its findings on Sept. 29. The commission found serious breaches involving the club's accounts and financial rules over nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. City continues to deny wrongdoing. The findings are now under appeal, and the club's characterization of them as unsafe remains its argument rather than an established conclusion.[4][3][5]
The Premier League says an independent appeal board will hear the case in private and keep the proceeding confidential until publication of an outcome is permitted. The Associated Press reports league rules call for the hearing within 12 weeks of the appeal being filed and limit it to five consecutive days. The board may allow or dismiss the appeal or make another order under the rules.[2][3]
Any punishment is a separate step. The league said sanctions will be addressed at a further confidential hearing before the investigatory commission, but it has not said whether that can happen before the appeal is decided. The league has listed possible sanctions including a reprimand, fine, points deduction or expulsion; none has been imposed.[4][3]