Manchester City are set to owe the Premier League tens of millions of pounds in compensation for legal costs after being found guilty of virtually all charges brought against them. An independent commission determined that the club artificially inflated its income by £900 million over a nine-year period, using "sham" contracts to boost revenues and comply with spending rules.
Legal experts predict the total costs for both sides could exceed £100 million. The Premier League's costs are expected to be upwards of £70 million. Lawyers suggest a winning party can typically recoup around 70% of their legal costs, meaning the league could be awarded almost £50 million in compensation.
The independent panel's 40-page document explained its findings of guilt for serious breaches of financial rules and the majority of charges related to a failure to cooperate with the league's investigation. Manchester City maintains its innocence and plans to appeal the ruling, describing it as an "opinion" containing "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe." The club's chief executive, Ferran Soriano, reportedly called it a "Premier League conspiracy theory" in a video to employees.
The commission will rule on the final compensation figure once the process is completed and will also determine if the Premier League’s legal spending was proportionate. In a previous case in 2024, Everton successfully argued for a reduction in the Premier League's requested costs.