Manchester City has been found guilty by an independent commission of breaching Premier League financial rules. The breaches, which occurred between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, involved creating “sham” contracts to inflate revenue and reduce costs by over £900m.
During this nine-year period, the club achieved significant sporting success. Under manager Roberto Mancini, City finished 3rd in the Premier League in 2010-11, winning the FA Cup that season. They also secured a Premier League title in 2011-12 and were FA Cup runners-up in 2012-13.
Manuel Pellegrini then led the team to a League Cup victory in 2013-14 and another in 2015-16, a season where they also reached the Champions League semi-finals. Pep Guardiola took the helm in 2016-17, and in the 2017-18 season, City won the League Cup and reached the Champions League quarter-finals.
Despite the commission's findings, Manchester City has stated that they are innocent of the accusations.