Manchester City have been charged with more than 100 breaches of the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play regulations following a four-year investigation.
The breaches, which have seen the club referred to an independent commission, span a period across nine seasons from 2009/10 until 2017/18, with allegations of breaching regulations surrounding player and manager contracts and the remuneration declared in their financial accounts.
The reigning Premier League champions, who have won six titles since the Abu Dhabi-led takeover of 2008, have also been charged with failing to cooperate with the investigation, which has been carried out by an independent commission. Those charges specifically apply to the period between 2018-19 and the current campaign.
City have also been charged by the Premier League over its alleged breach of Uefa regulations, having been found to have fallen foul of Club Licensing and FFP regulations in Europe.
Premier League rule W.51 covers the sanctioning powers of a commission where an alleged breach or breaches are found proven.
These range from a reprimand, from the deduction of points up to a recommendation to the league to expel a club from the competition.
The commission has the power to make such sanctions conditional on defined actions being taken within a fixed time period, and respondents have a right of appeal.
The chair of the independent Premier League judicial panel is Murray Rosen KC, who was appointed in 2020.
He will now select individuals to sit alongside him on a commission to consider the alleged rule breaches. The panel also has access to consult other independent financial and legal experts.
“The members of the Commission will be appointed by the independent Chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel,” the Premier League said in a statement.
“The proceedings before the Commission will, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82, be confidential and heard in private. Under Premier League Rule W.82.2, the Commission’s final award will be published on the Premier League’s website.
“This confirmation is made in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1. The Premier League will be making no further comment in respect of this matter until further notice.”