Manchester City used sham commercial contracts to artificially inflate revenue and hide expenses by more than £900 million over nine seasons, an independent commission ruled in a September 2026 decision that the Premier League called the most significant in its history.
How Manchester City Ran the £900 Million Revenue Scheme
An independent commission concluded in its final ruling that Manchester City recorded £949.94 million in commercial revenue from Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) between the 2009–10 and 2017–18 campaigns. Sheikh Mansour, who bought the club in 2008, owns the group behind the financial transactions.
Sponsors were required to pay only a fraction of the recorded fees, while the balance was supplied directly by ADUG, as the panel found the club arranged sham contracts that misrepresented true agreements with several commercial partners. The sponsors themselves provided just £119.25 million of the reported £949.94 million total, according to the findings.
Total revenue was inflated and costs were reduced by more than £900 million—allowing the club to bypass spending limits set by both the Premier League and UEFA—because the commission determined that £830.69 million of that revenue was incorrectly recorded as commercial income instead of capital contributions from the owner, alongside understated operating expenses, the Fordham Arrangement, and excluded costs.
The findings detail how the club understated costs by £8.866 million, £7.4 million, and £500,000, alongside £24.5 million in operating expenses generated through the Fordham Arrangement and £49.414 million in expenses that were incorrectly excluded from calculations, as the independent commission that reviewed the case concluded that Manchester City clearly intended to circumvent the rules established by the league.
| Financial Category | Reported Amount | Actual or Corrected Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Total Revenue Linked to Abu Dhabi Entities | £949.94 million ($1.27 billion) | — |
| Incorrectly Recorded Commercial Income | £830.69 million ($1.11 billion) | Should be ADUG capital contributions |
| Actual Sponsor Contributions | — | £119.25 million ($159 million) |
Yearly Sponsor Figures Tracked by the Panel
The commission’s findings detail a growing gap between reported sponsorship income and the amounts received from sponsors across the nine seasons under scrutiny.
| Season | Reported Revenue | Actual Sponsor Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | £27.0 million | £4.5 million |
| 2010–11 | £41.25 million | £12.75 million |
| 2011–12 | £86.75 million | £16.0 million |
| 2012–13 | £121.75 million | £16.0 million |
| 2013–14 | £127.5 million | £16.0 million |
| 2014–15 | £123.2 million | £16.0 million |
| 2015–16 | £136.17 million | £16.0 million |
| 2016–17 | £140.59 million | £11.0 million |
| 2017–18 | £145.73 million | £11.0 million |
Manchester City Denies the Charges and Plans an Appeal
Manchester City denied all wrongdoing, stating they were surprised and disappointed by the ruling. The club maintained that an extensive body of evidence supports its innocence.
Manchester City FC
“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,”
Chief Executive Ferran Soriano dismissed the allegations as a conspiracy theory in a video address to staff.
Ferran Soriano, Chief Executive, Manchester City
“The whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation, that the owner’s personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi.”
Several club witnesses presented false evidence and knowingly misled the panel during the 42-day hearing, according to the commission.
Sanctions Await and Legal Battles Continue
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters called the decision the most significant in Premier League history
and emphasized that key elements remain unresolved, notably the punishment itself.
Yasin Patel, a sports law barrister at London’s Church Court Chambers, noted that the legal battle is far from over.
