The verdict landed on Friday, 25 September, when an independent commission ruled against Manchester City on 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said the process still had “a long way to run” and the club would appeal.
Noel Gallagher went on the Manchester City podcast Let Me Talk a day later and admitted the ruling had caught him out.
“A little surprised when I heard it on the radio. Surprised because only that the club have assured us all along that they vehemently denied any of these charges. So it was a bit of a shock to find out that we’ve been found guilty of all but one.”
The Oasis guitarist told the podcast his focus was on the human cost.
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“But really overall just quite sad really. Sad for the fans and for the players.”
Asked whether the verdict tarnished landmark moments like Sergio Agüero’s title-winning goal in 2012, Noel refused to disown any of it.
“Our focus as fans is always on the pitch and we know what we saw. They won it on the pitch. Whatever goes on in the boardroom, it’s nothing to do with the supporters or the players.”
Liam claims a tip on the punishment
His younger brother took a very different line. On Saturday, 27 September, Liam Gallagher posted on X that a well-placed source had told him what to expect if City lose their appeal.
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“Just been told by someone in a very very high position if we lose our appeal which we won’t we’ll be getting a FINE and TRANSFER BAN and that’s it.”
Liam signed off with “MCFC LG x”. Piers Morgan queried whether the singer was really sitting on inside information, pointing out that Liam had previously claimed Pep Guardiola told him the manager was staying at the club, only for Guardiola to leave weeks later.
Charges span 2009 to 2023
The charges cover 14 seasons from 2009-10 to 2022-23 and centre on allegations that City failed to provide accurate financial information, including on sponsorship income and payments to players and managers.
The independent commission’s guilty findings do not yet come with a punishment. Its options range from a transfer ban at the moderate end to expulsion from the Premier League at the most severe. Everton and Nottingham Forest are the two recent points-deduction precedents in Premier League financial cases.
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Manchester City’s appeal is expected to begin before any sanction is finalised.
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