Manchester City chair Khaldoon Al Mubarak insists club will prove innocence over Premier League charges

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has told supporters the club remains determined to clear its name as its case against the Premier League over more than 100 alleged financial breaches continues.

City have consistently denied any wrongdoing. Al Mubarak reiterated that position in a letter to fans on Saturday, despite reports that the club has been found guilty of almost all of the charges it faces.

If upheld, the allegations could lead to severe sanctions, including a substantial points deduction or expulsion from the top flight of English football.

“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,” Al Mubarak 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.”

The chairman said confidentiality rules meant he was unable to disclose further details about the club’s defence.

“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.”

What is the Premier League case?

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

The investigation followed questions over the financial affairs of the Abu Dhabi-backed club, which intensified after apparently leaked emails and documents were published by German magazine Der Spiegel from 2018. The material, believed to have been obtained through hacking, allegedly indicated that City had attempted to conceal the source of income from agreements connected to Abu Dhabi.

The ruling family of Abu Dhabi bought City in 2008 and has overseen hundreds of millions of dollars in spending on leading players during the subsequent two decades.

City were also found by Uefa in 2020 to have 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 ruling that some allegations had not been established and others were too old to be investigated.

The Premier League proceedings have now lasted more than three years. They include more than 100 alleged breaches, covering claims of misleading financial information and a failure to co-operate with the investigation.

City’s record during the period

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 allegations, from 2009 to 2018, they won the league three times: in 2012, 2014 and 2018.