Man City charges verdict – live: Bombshell decision set to be announced over Premier League charges

From canvassing views around football, there is amazement – and some relief – that the level of guilt is so strong.

There are still a lot of uncertainties, not least about the sanctions and the response but this is a seismic day in English football history.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein has reported that Manchester City “have been found guilty on all but one of the 115 charges”.

We await confirmation of this from the Premier League.

Such an overwhelming verdict would represent victory for the Premier League, who charged City in February 2023.

The independent hearing into Man City’s charges concluded in December 2024, yet the nature of the case was described as “hugely complex,” leading to a lengthy delay in the verdict.

The timeframe between the start of the hearing and the judgement has stretched to almost three years.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters admitted to Sky Sports before the 2025/26 season that he had grown frustrated with the situation.

“It’s an independent judiciary essentially,” he said. “They are then in charge of the process and its timings. They hear the case, they decide the outcome and we have no influence over it or its timing.

“My frustration is irrelevant really, I just have to wait. Legal processes rarely take less time than you anticipated. But we have to be patient.”

Manchester City’s charges concerning breaking financial fair play rules surround a nine-year period, from 2009 to 2018.

They were also charged with failing to co-operate with Premier League investigations concerning the club’s finances.

Initially charged in 2023, the club was accused of:

• Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information (2009-2018): 54
• Failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation (2009-2018): 14
• Failure to comply with UEFA’s regulations, including Financial Fair Play Regulations: 5
• Breaching Premier League Profitability and Sustainability regulations (2015-2018): 7
• Failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations (2018-2023): 35

A Manchester City spokesperson said the Premier League process remains “ongoing”.

“The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the club’s statement of February 2023.

“The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”

The Premier League have yet to announce the verdict on the Manchester City charges, but it sounds as if that could be coming very soon.

A verdict over Premier League charges against Manchester City is finally set to be delivered after a bombshell report said the club have been “guilty on almost all of the charges”.

The Athletic reported on Friday that former champions have been found guilty of breaking the Premier League’s financial rules in a seminal moment for the richest football league in the world.

Follow for all the updates on an extraordinary story.