City chief executive Ferran Soriano has rejected the guilty verdict against the club and confirmed that lawyers are preparing an appeal against the independent commission’s findings.
Soriano addressed staff in an internal video following publication of the written judgment in Manchester City’s long-running financial case. He described the central allegation against the club as a “Premier League conspiracy theory” and insisted evidence presented during the hearing showed owner funding had not secretly been channelled through sponsors.
It represents City’s most detailed response since the guilty verdict was confirmed and provides the clearest indication yet of the arguments they intend to make on appeal.
Ferran Soriano rejects Premier League case against Man City
The independent commission found Manchester City guilty of more than 100 charges relating to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
At the heart of its findings was what the commission described as a disguised funding scheme involving sponsorship agreements with Abu Dhabi-based companies. It concluded that hundreds of millions of pounds recorded as sponsorship revenue had instead been funded by Abu Dhabi United Group.
City reject that conclusion.
“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,” Soriano said.
Soriano argued that the allegation underpins the other charges brought against City and said the club had supplied evidence during the proceedings that contradicted it.
Soriano says City provided ‘irrefutable evidence’
The chief executive gave staff more detail on why the club believe the commission reached the wrong conclusion.
“This is just not true. Irrefutable evidence has been provided to the Premier League commission that shows it could not happen and that it did not happen,” he said.
“This includes bank statements, money transfers, witnesses and everything necessary to categorically demonstrate the money did not come from the owner.”
That is City’s position rather than the commission’s. After considering the evidence during lengthy proceedings, the panel reached the opposite conclusion and found that the sponsorship arrangements in question were shams.
Soriano nevertheless made clear that City intend to challenge both the commission’s interpretation of the evidence and its application of the law.
“Every other false charge that has been thrown at us comes from that simple, central and completely false accusation,” he said.
“Surprisingly for us and our lawyers after nearly two years the commission has issued an opinion that supports the Premier League’s conspiracy theory.”
Manchester City preparing appeal
Soriano also gave the clearest indication so far of the grounds on which City intend to appeal.
“To do so, the opinion had to ignore the extensive evidence provided by the club in order to reach a conclusion that is clearly wrong,” he said.
“Our lawyers will now file an appeal that sets out the opinion contains clear, material errors of law, principle and fact.”
The Guardian report on Soriano’s message provides further detail on the chief executive’s response and the arguments City are preparing to make.
The strength of Soriano’s language is notable. City had already confirmed they would appeal, but their chief executive has now directly challenged the central conclusion underpinning the commission’s findings and set out why the club believe it should be overturned.
What happens next in the Manchester City case?
No sanction has yet been announced.
City have until Friday to lodge an appeal against the commission’s findings. Soriano’s comments make clear that the club intend to challenge the decision on what they believe are errors of law, principle and fact.
There has also been no public response from head coach Enzo Maresca or City’s players to the substance of the judgment.
The length of the process is unlikely to surprise anyone who has followed the case closely. Our earlier analysis of the Manchester City legal proceedings looked at why the dispute could continue well beyond the commission’s initial verdict.
For now, the two sides remain fundamentally opposed over the central issue in the case. The commission concluded that serious financial breaches took place; City say the central allegation underpinning those findings is false and that they have evidence to prove it.
The filing of the appeal will begin the next stage of a case that is still some way from its conclusion.
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