Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 of 115 financial charges. Here is what the verdict says, what has not been decided, and why it matters to Manchester United.
An independent panel has found Manchester City guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules on 114 of the 115 charges brought against them. The breaches covered a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018. City have always denied wrongdoing, are expected to appeal, and no punishment has been announced. That last point is the one to keep in mind: this is a verdict, not yet a sentence.
For Manchester United supporters the story is more than a rival's legal problem. United finished second to City in 2011/12 and 2017/18, both inside the period under examination, and the verdict has reopened questions that have been asked quietly for years. This explainer sets out what is actually known, what is not, and what could follow.
How we got here
- February 2023: the Premier League charged City with 115 breaches of its financial rules, covering seasons from 2009 to 2018.
- September to December 2024: an independent commission heard the case.
- September 2026: the commission's finding became public: guilty on 114 of the 115 charges.
City have consistently said they did nothing wrong, and a club spokesperson has said its position is unchanged from its February 2023 statement. The Manchester Evening News reports that City are expected to appeal. Until that process finishes, the verdict is not the last word.
What has been decided, and what has not
Decided: the panel found City breached the rules over those nine years. Not decided: the penalty. The league's rules allow for a wide range of sanctions, from fines and points deductions at one end to expulsion at the other, but nothing has been announced. Nor has anything been said about past results or titles. Speculation is growing over whether any of the eight Premier League titles City have won since 2011/12, or their one Champions League, could be affected, but at this stage that is speculation. We will not guess at an outcome that the league and any appeal panel have yet to decide.
The seasons United finished second
Three seasons come up in the reaction from former United players and managers:
- 2011/12: United and City finished level on 89 points. City won the title on goal difference, by eight goals, after Sergio Agüero's stoppage-time winner against QPR on the final day.
- 2017/18: United, under Jose Mourinho, finished as runners-up to City.
- 2020/21: another second-place finish behind City, which David de Gea included in his reaction. That season falls after the 2009 to 2018 period the charges cover, so it is part of the debate but not directly part of the case.
It is not for us to say how any ruling would apply to individual seasons. What is clear is why the people who lost those races are speaking up.
How the United family has reacted
- Rio Ferdinand joked that he was owed another winner's medal, saying he would be happy for a seventh to be "sent in the post". He won six league titles at United, so a 2011/12 title would have made it seven.
- David de Gea, who finished second to City in 2012, 2018 and 2021 as United's goalkeeper, posted on X: "So…… Let's talk. How many Premier League titles have I won then?"
- Jose Mourinho has previously contrasted himself with Pep Guardiola, saying he won "fairly and cleanly" and did not want to win "by dealing with 150 lawsuits". He has also joked before that United might still be handed the 2018 title.
- Wayne Rooney took a different line. The Guardian reported that he does not think City should be stripped of titles, even if it handed him another championship medal, saying he would not feel comfortable and adding that he did not think United had deserved it.
The range of views, from jokes to discomfort, is a useful reminder that there is no single "United position" on what should happen next.
Compensation: the legal story to watch
The Manchester Evening News reports that Premier League clubs are planning potential legal action and that United are among those said to be examining their options. The Athletic has suggested the clubs affected could even come together in a class-action claim, and that United are specifically looking at the seasons in which they were most affected. Any such action is expected to wait for City's appeal to run its course.
What it means for United right now
On the pitch, nothing changes. United's next game is Tottenham at Old Trafford on 10 October (see our preview). City, meanwhile, are top of the table on a perfect 15 points after five games, having beaten United 1-0 at Old Trafford on 13 September (see the table and our report on the Fulham draw that followed). United are 12th.
The wider point is about trust in the competition. If the verdict stands, the debate will move from "what happened" to "what should be done", and United, as one of the clubs that finished behind City in the period, will be part of that conversation whether they want to be or not. We will update this explainer as soon as there is an appeal ruling or an announced sanction.
Reporting used
This piece is our own analysis, built from the following reporting and our own results and table data. We link to the original stories so you can read them in full.
- Manchester Evening News: Man Utd: Ferdinand jokes he's owed another title medal after Man City verdict
- Manchester Evening News: Man Utd: Man City found guilty on 114 of 115 charges: how Manchester United have reacted