--- title: "Man City Premier League charges timeline and CAS verdict explained" canonical: "https://readmancity.com/2026/09/25/man-city-premier-league-charges-timeline-cas/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Gary Gowers" section: "Man City News" published: "2026-09-25T14:22:00Z" modified: "2026-09-25T14:22:00Z" --- # Man City Premier League charges timeline and CAS verdict explained **The Manchester City financial case has been hanging over the club for years, stretching back through a Premier League investigation, leaked documents published in Germany and an earlier battle with UEFA that ended at the Court of Arbitration for Spor**t. Now it has reached its biggest moment yet. David Ornstein reported on Friday that [Man City](https://readmancity.com/) have been found guilty on virtually all of the charges brought against them by the Premier League, although no sanction has yet been decided and City are expected to appeal. It is the latest development in a story with roots stretching back well over a decade. ## From the 2008 takeover to the Der Spiegel leaks Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group agreed a £200m deal to take over City in September 2008, transforming the financial position of a club that had finished ninth in the Premier League the previous season. [BBC Sport’s account of the takeover](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45256691?utm_source=chatgpt.com) details how quickly City’s circumstances changed following the deal. The allegations at the centre of the later investigations relate to subsequent seasons, but they didn’t become public until much later. In November 2018, German publication Der Spiegel published material obtained through Football Leaks which it claimed showed City had circumvented UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations. City disputed the allegations and the way the material had been obtained. UEFA subsequently launched an investigation and, in February 2020, its Club Financial Control Body imposed a two-year ban from European competition and a €30m fine after finding City had committed serious breaches of its regulations. City appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. ## What happened when Man City went to CAS? The European ban was overturned in July 2020. CAS found that most of UEFA’s alleged breaches were either not established or time-barred. In particular, it found there was insufficient evidence to conclude that City had disguised equity funding as sponsorship contributions. It did find that City had failed to cooperate with UEFA’s investigation. The club’s fine was reduced from €30m to €10m. The [BBC Sport report on the CAS decision](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53387306?utm_source=chatgpt.com) covered the ruling in detail. The decision ended the UEFA case, but the Premier League was conducting its own investigation. ## Why did the Premier League charge Man City? In February 2023, after a four-year investigation, the Premier League referred City to an independent commission over a large number of alleged breaches of its rules. The case has generally been referred to as the **115 charges**, although subsequent reporting has explained that the total can be counted differently because of the way some alleged breaches were originally listed. [BBC Sport’s detailed breakdown of the Man City charges](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cgrjv9ydv31o?utm_source=chatgpt.com) lists 54 alleged failures to provide accurate financial information, 14 relating to player and manager payments, five concerning UEFA regulations and seven relating to the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules. A further 35 concerned City’s alleged failure to cooperate with the Premier League investigation between December 2018 and February 2023. City responded to the charges by expressing their “surprise” and referring to a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” supporting their position. ## The independent commission hearing The hearing began in September 2024 and was conducted in private before an independent commission. It concluded later that year, beginning a lengthy wait for a decision. That wait produced a major development on Friday when Ornstein reported that City had been found guilty on virtually all of the charges. Our report on the [Man City financial case verdict](https://readmancity.com/2026/09/25/man-city-guilty-premier-league-financial-charges-ornstein/) has the latest details. City responded by saying the process “remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality.” No sanction has yet been announced, and the club are expected to appeal. ## What happens next? The punishment is now the next stage of the case. The independent commission has a range of sanctions available, including fines and points deductions, while the Premier League says serious breaches can, in extreme circumstances, result in expulsion from the competition. We have looked separately at [what punishment Man City could face](https://readmancity.com/2026/09/25/man-city-punishment-points-deduction-relegation-explained/), including the position on points deductions, relegation and an appeal. Until the commission’s sanction is known, there is no confirmed points deduction or other sporting punishment. City’s expected appeal also means the case isn’t over yet. [***LIVE! Premier League 2026/27 News, Transfers, Updates & Viral Moments***](https://dave.sport/live/premier-league-2026-2027-season-updates/)