Disputes involving professional and international association football (soccer), including clubs, leagues, players, managers and the bodies that regulate them.
Published coverage on this page: 1 case · 5 statements. Statements are ordered newest first.
An independent commission found Manchester City arranged "sham" sponsorship contracts to disguise owner funding between 2009/10 and 2017/18. City denies it, says the decision is unsafe and will appeal. As of October 1, 2026, no sanction has been set.
Published
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5 matching statements
Role at the time: Former Manchester United player and Sky Sports pundit, speaking on The Overlap's Stick to Football podcast
Response to this claim
The Premier League said on September 29, 2026 that an independent commission found that between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons Manchester City arranged "sham" contracts with a number of its commercial partners as part of a disguised funding scheme, in which the sponsors were required to pay only a portion of the relevant fees and Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, which owned the club, funded the remainder, and that "by its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules."
Quotation excerpt
“The biggest consequence would be the removal of the owners. That is the only consequence, if I was Manchester City, that I would be worried about. And as a fan of Manchester City, if you wanted to keep the investment that you've currently…”
“The biggest consequence would be the removal of the owners. That is the only consequence, if I was Manchester City, that I would be worried about. And as a fan of Manchester City, if you wanted to keep the investment that you've currently got, that would be the one that I would be most concerned. However, if you're in football and you're thinking about a consequence, what can be more serious than industrial-level financial doping that we've seen and they've been found guilty of?”
Relative to the proposition that City used sponsorship contracts the commission described as shams, and related arrangements, to misstate its finances and circumvent the Premier League's financial rules, as the commission found, Neville treats the finding as established ("they've been found guilty of") and describes it in his own words as "industrial-level financial doping." He argues about the consequence for City and for football, not about the procedure. That endorses the finding, so we used Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because much of the passage concerns what sanction would matter most, but he attaches no condition to the finding.
Role at the time: Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool player, in a Sky Sports interview
Response to this claim
The Premier League said on September 29, 2026 that an independent commission found that between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons Manchester City arranged "sham" contracts with a number of its commercial partners as part of a disguised funding scheme, in which the sponsors were required to pay only a portion of the relevant fees and Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, which owned the club, funded the remainder, and that "by its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules."
Quotation excerpt
“But I'm shocked, but also not surprised with what's going on right now. And the reason I'm not surprised that Manchester City have had a guilty, because I always felt they were guilty, just for two simple reasons, really. Just the fact that…”
“But I'm shocked, but also not surprised with what's going on right now. And the reason I'm not surprised that Manchester City have had a guilty, because I always felt they were guilty, just for two simple reasons, really. Just the fact that it would be impossible for Manchester City to ever have the commercial revenue of Liverpool, Manchester United or Real Madrid. They said that for years, they had that type of income coming in. It's impossible for that to ever happen, no matter how successful Manchester City are. And number two, the fact that they said, as they have said, I think yesterday, and they've continually said over this period of the last few years, that they've done nothing wrong, you know, they've got irrefutable evidence. I mean, any, you know, man and his dog in this country or football fan knows if you were charged by the police and you had irrefutable evidence, it would be over within a day or a week. This has dragged on for years, so this idea that there's nothing gone on and it's dragged on this long just tells you that there was always something there.”
Relative to the proposition that City used sponsorship contracts the commission described as shams, and related arrangements, to misstate its finances and circumvent the Premier League's financial rules, as the commission found, Carragher says he always felt City were guilty and gives reasons drawn from the club's revenue and the length of the case. That endorses the finding, so we used Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because he reasons from the club's conduct rather than from the decision's text, but he states his conclusion without conditions.
Role at the time: Former Manchester City chairman (1998 to 2003) and former Football Association chairman, in a BBC interview reported by AFP
Response to this claim
The Premier League said on September 29, 2026 that an independent commission found that between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons Manchester City arranged "sham" contracts with a number of its commercial partners as part of a disguised funding scheme, in which the sponsors were required to pay only a portion of the relevant fees and Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, which owned the club, funded the remainder, and that "by its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules."
“It is damning beyond belief. My immediate thoughts are, should the board continue? Should the people involved be suspended immediately?”
Relative to the proposition that City used sponsorship contracts the commission described as shams, and related arrangements, to misstate its finances and circumvent the Premier League's financial rules, as the commission found, Bernstein calls the findings damning beyond belief and asks whether those involved should be suspended, which endorses the finding. We used Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because AFP reports his view on expulsion as depending on the appeal failing, but his reaction to the finding itself carries no condition.
Role at the time: Chief executive of the Premier League, in the league's published statement
Response to this claim
The Premier League said on September 29, 2026 that an independent commission found that between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons Manchester City arranged "sham" contracts with a number of its commercial partners as part of a disguised funding scheme, in which the sponsors were required to pay only a portion of the relevant fees and Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, which owned the club, funded the remainder, and that "by its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules."
Quotation excerpt
“The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade. It also vindicates the Premier League’s decision to…”
“The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade. It also vindicates the Premier League’s decision to pursue this case against Manchester City.”
Relative to the proposition that City used sponsorship contracts the commission described as shams, and related arrangements, to misstate its finances and circumvent the Premier League's financial rules, as the commission found, Masters presents the decision as establishing the facts and says it vindicates the league's decision to bring the case. That asserts and endorses the finding, so we used Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because the statement says elements of the case remain to be decided, but those elements are the sanction and the appeal, not the finding.
Role at the time: Former Manchester United and England captain and former club manager, speaking on the Stick to United podcast
Response to this claim
The Premier League said on September 29, 2026 that an independent commission found that between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons Manchester City arranged "sham" contracts with a number of its commercial partners as part of a disguised funding scheme, in which the sponsors were required to pay only a portion of the relevant fees and Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, which owned the club, funded the remainder, and that "by its conduct the club clearly intended to circumvent the PL Rules."
Quotation excerpt
“And again going back to they've cheated, take them off them. That's fine, I've no problem with that. But to turn around and say, right, there's a medal, I just wouldn't feel comfortable taking it. I'd be comfortable with them getting it…”
“And again going back to they've cheated, take them off them. That's fine, I've no problem with that. But to turn around and say, right, there's a medal, I just wouldn't feel comfortable taking it. I'd be comfortable with them getting it took off them, but I wouldn't be comfortable accepting a medal for finishing second.”
Relative to the proposition that City used sponsorship contracts the commission described as shams, and related arrangements, to misstate its finances and circumvent the Premier League's financial rules, as the commission found, Rooney accepts the reported outcome as the premise ("they've cheated") and says he has no problem with the titles being taken off City. That endorses the finding, so we used Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because his main point is about whether he would accept a retrospective medal, but he states no condition on the finding.
Rodri, whose full name is Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante, is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for FC Barcelona and is captain of the Spain national team. He played for Villarreal and Atletico Madrid before joining Manchester City in 2019, and Barcelona announced on August 18, 2026 that he had signed from City on a contract running to June 30, 2030. He won the Ballon d'Or in 2024.
1 case and 1 statement
