The ruling came down on Friday afternoon, when the independent commission found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges the Premier League filed in February 2023. The charges cover alleged breaches from the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons: financial reporting, sponsorship and related-party transactions, manager and player remuneration, and cooperation with the investigation.
No sanction has been announced. The Premier League has not published the ruling formally.
City’s response reiterated a stance the club has held for two and a half years.
“The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality,” a club spokesperson said, adding that the club’s position remained consistent with its February 2023 statement.
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Absent from the response was the voice that once did most of the talking on the case.
The manager who is not there
Pep Guardiola left Manchester City at the end of the 2025-26 season, closing a near-decade run that finished with a Carabao Cup and FA Cup double. His successor, Enzo Maresca, was appointed on 29 June 2026 on a three-year deal.
That means Friday’s verdict, and whatever punishment follows, is Maresca’s to manage. The most quoted words of the day still came from Guardiola, though. They were just years old.
The 2024 relegation vow
Ahead of a home fixture with Tottenham in November 2024, having just signed a contract extension, Guardiola was asked what he would do if City were relegated as a consequence of the charges.
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“I said six months ago when all the clubs accused us of doing something wrong, what happens if we are relegated: I will be here.”
He extended the point, saying he would follow the club down whatever division he had to and manage them back up. Asked whether he would come back for the press conference on the eventual verdict, he was blunt.
“If you find me, yeah, but that will be difficult.”
Guardiola has not been found. He has not commented publicly on Friday’s ruling.
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‘We’re already being condemned’
The other Guardiola line that resurfaced this week was older still, from days after the charges were filed in February 2023.
“My first thought is we’re already being condemned. It’s the same with UEFA, we were already condemned. The club proved we were completely innocent.”
The quote predates the independent panel’s finding by more than three years. It is not a reaction to Friday’s verdict, and City’s spokesperson has made clear the club’s position remains what it was in February 2023.
Appeal window closes 9 October
City have 14 days from the ruling to file an appeal. If they do, a fresh three-person commission will be selected by Murray Rosen KC, chair of the Premier League’s judicial panel, and its decision will be final. There is no route from there to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
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Sanctions under the Premier League handbook range from a fine to a points deduction to expulsion from the competition, but none can be imposed until the appeal process closes.
The 14-day appeal window runs to 9 October, at which point either the case moves to a fresh commission or the ruling stands and the sanction phase begins.
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