Man City’s strong proof in the 115 charges case revealed for the first time
Manchester City have finally made public the “irrefutable evidence” they kept mentioning during their failed case against the Premier League, which involved 115 charges.
On Friday, David Ornstein from The Athletic reported that an independent commission found City guilty of all charges—a huge shock in Premier League history. The 40-page decision, released Tuesday, revealed that between 2009 and 2018, City set up “sham contracts” and used fake agreements to boost their income and lower costs.
The report said City did this to the tune of £380 million to dodge financial rules and hide where the money was coming from. Because of this, City could face serious punishments like points deductions, being kicked out of the league, or even losing titles. This case might also have bigger political consequences.
City have always said they’re innocent and plan to appeal the decision by Friday. According to Mike Keegan from the Daily Mail, they’ll argue that the sponsorship money came from the Abu Dhabi government, not the club’s owners, Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG). They believe this means no rules were broken since deals with government-owned sponsors are common and legal in the Premier League.
For the first time, the evidence City mentioned—including government bank records and witness statements—was revealed. It showed money moving from government accounts to sponsors, who then paid City. This info was part of a three-month hearing with over 700 pages of statements that lasted more than two years. However, the commission said City’s defense was “made up after the fact” to hide the truth about the hidden funding.
City’s appeal will also argue that Sheikh Mansour, the owner and a royal family member, didn’t know about £830 million being used for these fake deals. Their lawyers will question how long it took to release the verdict and point out that the Premier League didn’t call witnesses to prove the conspiracy existed, even though City had many.
This case started after leaked emails from Rui Pinto, a whistleblower who shared secret club files on the Football Leaks website. Many leaks were published by the German site Der Spiegel. The hacked emails, involving City executives, discussed how money was moved around. One email from City’s then-finance chief Jorge Chumillas asked about the route of sponsorship funds through ADUG and Etihad.
City say that staff in Manchester wrongly assumed things in those emails. Etihad Airways, the club’s kit and stadium sponsor, have also threatened to take legal action. The state-owned airline issued a statement firmly rejecting any claim that it took part in improper deals.