England’s governing body has entered the Manchester City proceedings for the first time since Tuesday’s ruling, describing the commission’s findings as carrying implications for English football itself and reserving the right to act once the Premier League process is finished.
In a 59-word statement, the FA said the commission’s decision carried “significant implications for the integrity of the game” and that it would “take action where appropriate” once ongoing proceedings between the Premier League and the club conclude.
The intervention is a shift from the FA’s earlier posture of quietly watching the case from the sidelines. The governing body had declined to comment while the hearing played out, and the Tuesday verdict passed without an immediate FA response.
The 59-word statement
The FA’s full wording, carried by Daily Cannon and other outlets on Friday morning, reads:
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“The Independent Commission’s decision has significant implications for the integrity of the game. We are carefully considering the decision and its implications and will take action where appropriate. As proceedings between the Premier League and Manchester City Football Club remain ongoing, we do not intend to comment further at this stage. We will, however, continue to monitor developments closely.”
What the commission found
The independent commission ruled on 29 September 2026 that Manchester City had been in breach of Premier League financial rules across nine seasons from 2009/10 to 2017/18, upholding 114 of the 115 charges and almost every count of failing to co-operate with the investigation.
The commission concluded the club had used sham commercial contracts, backed by its Abu Dhabi owners, to artificially inflate revenue and reduce costs by more than £900m and present accounts that appeared to comply with spending rules.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the ruling “establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period” and detailed how the club “systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade”.
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Manchester City have rejected the finding, declaring their innocence and arguing the commission’s decision contains “clear material errors of law, principle and fact”. Chief executive Ferran Soriano told staff the case rested on “a single false accusation” and that the club held documentary evidence that cleared it.
Appeal deadline runs out on Friday
The timing of the FA’s intervention is pointed. Manchester City have until the end of Friday, 2 October 2026, to lodge their appeal against the finding of guilt, under section W of the Premier League rules. Any appeal would be heard by a new three-person commission and would challenge the ruling itself rather than any eventual punishment.
Sanctions sit in a separate hearing still to be scheduled. The options on the table range from a fine to a heavy points deduction to relegation from the Premier League, with no timetable yet set for when the sanctions commission will sit.
The FA’s own powers run alongside, not inside, the Premier League’s. English football’s governing body has a separate disciplinary code and its own route to charges. The FA will not act until the Premier League process, including any appeal, is complete.
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The next concrete step belongs to Manchester City, who are expected to file their appeal before the Friday deadline closes.
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