Manchester City chairman vows to prove club’s innocence over Premier League charges

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has insisted the club remains confident it will clear its name as it faces the possibility of severe punishment over alleged financial breaches.

City has reportedly been found guilty of almost all of the more than 100 charges brought against it by the Premier League. The possible sanctions include a substantial points deduction or expulsion from English football’s top division.

The club has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In a letter to supporters on Saturday, Al Mubarak reaffirmed City’s position and said the legal process was not yet close to ending.

“The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began,” he wrote.

“There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position.”

Al Mubarak said confidentiality requirements meant he could not disclose the information he referred to.

“While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed,” he added. “We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our club. We will not give them that opportunity.”

The Premier League charged City in February 2023, alleging the club had supplied inaccurate financial information during a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018.

Scrutiny of the Abu Dhabi-backed club’s finances intensified after leaked emails and documents, believed to have been obtained through hacking, began appearing in German magazine Der Spiegel in 2018. The material allegedly indicated that City had attempted to conceal the source of revenue from agreements connected to Abu Dhabi.

The ruling family of Abu Dhabi acquired City in 2008 and has overseen the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in some of the world’s leading players during the subsequent two decades.

Uefa ruled in 2020 that City had committed “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play regulations between 2012 and 2016. However, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a two-year European ban after deciding that some allegations had not been proved and that others were too old to be investigated.

The Premier League case has now continued for more than three years. It includes accusations that City misrepresented its finances and failed to co-operate with the investigation.

City have been English football’s dominant side over the past 15 years, winning eight Premier League titles since 2012 and the Champions League in 2023.

During the period covered by the Premier League’s allegations, the club won the league three times: in 2012, 2014 and 2018.