Manchester City have lodged an appeal after an independent commission found them guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations. The club was found guilty of all charges relating to financial rule breaches between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, as well as three out of four charges concerning a failure to cooperate with the investigation.
The Premier League stated that City relied on "sham" commercial agreements to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900 million over nearly a decade. This allegedly led to inaccurate financial reporting and breaches of spending rules.
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, who managed Manchester United from 2016-18, commented on the case, joking that he may not live to see the final verdict. He stated that the process would involve a verdict, followed by appeals, and then more appeals.
The appeal process will take place in private. It is currently unclear whether any sanctions would be imposed before the appeal is heard, or if any punishment would take immediate effect.