An independent panel recently determined that the football club obstructed investigators and disregarded bookkeeping rules for almost ten years. The commission found that the organisation failed to cooperate with a 4 year probe and disguised payments from its parent company as sponsorship revenues between 2009 and 2018 to artificially inflate its income.

The Premier League has not yet announced specific penalties, though potential sanctions include fines, points deductions or expulsion from the league. Manchester City continues to maintain its innocence and is expected to appeal the ruling, a legal battle that analysts suggest could persist for several years.