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 · 2 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
Read the caseLabels describe a response to the linked claim or the action explained in the statement summary. Choose one or more.
2 matching statements
Role at the time: Chair of the Independent Football Regulator, in a statement on the regulator's website
Statement summary
In a statement on the regulator's website on September 30, 2026, Independent Football Regulator chair David Kogan said the independent commission's decision "raises serious issues." He said the regulator can assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives and will use those powers "where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals," that this includes "taking account of findings made by the Leagues," but that because the proceedings are ongoing it will "await further developments." He ended: "For now, we have no further comment."
Quotation excerpt
“The independent commission’s decision raises serious issues. The IFR has powers to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives and we will use these powers where appropriate, in the interests of protecting the…”
“The independent commission’s decision raises serious issues. The IFR has powers to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives and we will use these powers where appropriate, in the interests of protecting the sustainability, honesty and integrity of English football where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals. This includes taking account of findings made by the Leagues. However, as the proceedings remain ongoing between Manchester City and the Premier League we will await further developments. We hope it can be resolved quickly for the sake of fans. For now, we have no further comment.”
What this label refers to
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, Kogan calls the decision serious and says the regulator can take account of findings made by the leagues, but he conditions any action on clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals and says the regulator will wait while the proceedings continue. That combines an assessment with an express condition, so we used Mixed or conditional. The closest competing label is Explicitly stayed out, because he ends with "no further comment," but he first gives an assessment and describes how the regulator would act.
Role at the time: Spain captain and former Manchester City midfielder, at a Spain press conference before the match against England
Response to this claim
Manchester City said on September 29, 2026 that the club "is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League," that "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions," and that the commission's opinion "contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe."
Quotation excerpt
“I think it's normal to go through these kind of situations and it's part of football today and everyone has to follow the rules and for me that's great. But they always press the confidence that they never did something wrong and we believe…”
“I think it's normal to go through these kind of situations and it's part of football today and everyone has to follow the rules and for me that's great. But they always press the confidence that they never did something wrong and we believe in that. That's the thing. Since the moment they proved wrong, we will believe the club.”
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, Rodri says he and his former team-mates believe the club's statement that it never did anything wrong, which endorses the club's denial. He also says that everyone has to follow the rules and, in the next sentence, which the audio renders as "Since the moment they proved wrong, we will believe the club," makes his belief depend on the club not being proved wrong. We used Mixed or conditional because the statement combines support for the club's denial with that condition. The closest competing label is Denied. He spoke before the commission's decision was published.
Gary Neville is an English football pundit, businessman and former professional footballer who spent his whole playing career at Manchester United, where he was captain for five years. He won eight Premier League titles and two UEFA Champions League titles and was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2025. He has worked as a pundit for Sky Sports, and he founded the sports media company The Overlap, whose programmes include the Stick to Football podcast.
1 case and 1 statement
David Kogan OBE is a British media executive and the chair of the Independent Football Regulator. The regulator's website says he has had a 45-year career in television and sport, negotiating television rights deals for sporting bodies including the Premier League and the English Football League, and that he is a former managing director of Reuters Television and former chief executive of the Magnum photo agency. He was appointed chair for a five-year term, announced on October 6, 2025.
1 case and 1 statement
Andy Burnham is a British politician who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party in July 2026. GOV.UK says he became Prime Minister on July 20, 2026, after being elected Labour leader on July 16, 2026, and that he returned to Parliament as Member of Parliament for Makerfield in June 2026. He was Member of Parliament for Leigh from 2001, served in government from 2007 to 2010, and was elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in May 2017 and re-elected in 2021 and 2024.
1 case and 1 statement
Jurgen Klopp is a German football manager and former player who managed Mainz 05, Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool. He left Liverpool in May 2024 and was Red Bull's Head of Global Soccer from January 2025. The German football federation (DFB) announced on July 24, 2026 that he would become head coach of the Germany men's national team from August 15, 2026, on a four-year contract through the 2030 World Cup.
1 case and 1 statement
Jamie Carragher is an English football analyst and former professional footballer who spent his whole career at Liverpool, making 737 appearances and serving as vice-captain for ten years. He won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool and earned 38 senior England caps. Since retiring in 2013 he has worked as a pundit for Sky Sports, as part of CBS Sports' Champions League coverage and as football columnist for The Telegraph.
1 case and 1 statement
Lisa Nandy is a British Labour politician who has been Member of Parliament for Wigan since May 2010. She has been Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport since July 20, 2026, according to GOV.UK, which says she held the earlier title of Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport from July 5, 2024 to July 20, 2026. Before entering Parliament she worked at the homelessness charity Centrepoint and then at The Children's Society. She studied politics at Newcastle University and is the author of All In: How We Build a Country That Works.
1 case and 1 statement
Ferran Soriano is a Spanish businessman who is chief executive officer of City Football Group, according to the group's website, and is also described as Manchester City's chief executive in BBC Sport reporting. Before joining Manchester City in 2012 he was vice-president for the economy and general manager of FC Barcelona from 2003 to 2008, after earlier roles in consumer goods, telecommunications and management consulting.
1 case and 1 statement
David Bernstein is a British businessman and chartered accountant. He was chairman of Manchester City Football Club from 1998 to 2003 and chairman of the Football Association from 2011 to 2013.
1 case and 1 statement
Richard Masters is a British football executive who has been chief executive of the Premier League since December 2019. He joined the league in 2006 as director of sales and marketing, after earlier commercial roles at the English Football League and the England and Wales Cricket Board, and was interim chief executive before his permanent appointment.
1 case and 1 statement
Wayne Rooney is an English former professional footballer and manager. He is Manchester United's all-time leading goalscorer with 253 goals, also played for Everton, D.C. United and Derby County, and retired as a player in January 2021. He has since worked as a manager and broadcaster, and his official website says he launched his own YouTube channel and The Wayne Rooney Show podcast in August 2025.
1 case and 1 statement
Joe Hart is an English former professional goalkeeper who now works as a football pundit. He began at his hometown club Shrewsbury Town, joined Manchester City in 2006 and won two Premier League titles there, won 75 England caps, and finished his career at Celtic, retiring at the end of the 2023-24 season. He works as a pundit for BBC Sport, including Match of the Day and BBC Radio 5 Live.
1 case and 1 statement
Khaldoon Al Mubarak is an Emirati business leader and government official from Abu Dhabi. Mubadala Investment Company's website names him as its Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer, and City Football Group's website names him founding chairman of the group and chairman of Manchester City since 2008. According to the group's website he also chairs the boards of Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Emirates Global Aluminium and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, and chairs the Executive Affairs Authority.
1 case and 1 statement
