Manchester City have issued a strongly worded response to the Premier League Commission’s findings against the club, insisting they remain innocent and declaring that they will challenge the decision through every available regulatory and legal avenue. The club said it was both “disappointed and surprised” by the Commission’s opinion published on Tuesday following the long-running case concerning City’s financial conduct.
City have rejected the conclusions and maintain that the evidence supporting their position has not been properly reflected in the ruling. Their response makes clear that they regard the current opinion as neither definitive nor beyond challenge.
“The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case,” Manchester City said in their statement.
The club also stressed that the process itself remains unfinished, with what it described as significant elements still outstanding. City confirmed that they will now pursue the appeal mechanisms available to them and challenge the Commission’s opinion on multiple grounds. “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted. Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe,” the statement added.
Manchester City question fairness of Premier League process
The most pointed section of City’s response concerned the manner in which the club believes the case has been handled over the past eight years. City said they had continued to respect due process because they expected the Premier League’s leadership to act independently, impartially and without outside influence. “The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence,” City said.
That wording significantly broadens the nature of the club’s response beyond a simple rejection of the financial findings. City are not only disputing the substance of the Commission’s opinion but are also raising concerns over the fairness and independence of the regulatory process through which the case has been pursued.
The statement suggests that City’s forthcoming appeal could therefore extend beyond individual financial findings and into questions surrounding procedure, interpretation and regulatory conduct. The club has not, however, provided further detail on those concerns while the wider process remains active. “The Club is obviously restricted in what it can say further until all future proceedings are complete,” the statement concluded.
The dispute is therefore set to move into another phase, with City maintaining that the Commission’s opinion contains serious legal and factual flaws. Their position is unequivocal: the club rejects the findings, insists it possesses evidence supporting its case and intends to continue challenging the decision through the avenues available to it.
