Update, 16 October 2026: This article has been updated to include Manchester City’s confirmation that the club lodged its appeal on 1 October 2026.
The Manchester City 115 charges case has entered a new phase after the Premier League officially published the findings of the independent Commission investigating the club’s alleged financial-rule breaches.
Now there is something much more concrete to work with.
On September 29, the Premier League officially published the Commission’s findings, alongside a redacted version of its Core Decision. Manchester City responded the same day, rejecting those findings and confirming that they intend to pursue the appeal avenues available to them. Premier League
The case is not finished. City lodged their appeal on 1 October 2026, formally challenging the Commission’s findings.
But supporters can now separate what has actually been confirmed from what remains unresolved.
What Has the Premier League Officially Confirmed?
The Premier League announced that an independent Commission had found Manchester City guilty of all charges relating to serious breaches of the league’s financial rules across the nine-season period from 2009/10 to 2017/18.
The Commission also upheld three of four alleged breaches concerning City’s duty to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation. Premier League
According to the Premier League, City arranged “sham” contracts with commercial partners and relied on other arrangements designed to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs.
The Premier League said the schemes inflated City’s revenues and reduced their costs by more than £900 million during the affected period, with the Commission finding that the purpose was to make the club appear compliant with financial rules.
The Commission also found that City filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of their finances from auditors and football regulators.
It concluded that if the relevant agreements had been accurately reported, City would have breached both Premier League and UEFA spending limits by what the League described as a “very substantial amount.” Premier League
These are the Commission’s findings, which Manchester City dispute.
What Manchester City Said in Response
Manchester City issued their response the same day.
The club said it was disappointed and surprised by the Commission’s opinion and maintained that it is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League.
City said there is a comprehensive body of evidence supporting its position and argued that the Commission’s opinion contains what it considers material errors of law, principle and fact.
Most importantly, the club confirmed that it will pursue the appeal avenues open to it. Manchester City FC
That means the September 29 announcement should not be treated as the end of the case.
City’s position remains that the findings are wrong, while the Premier League now has an independent Commission decision supporting its case.
Why There Is Still No Manchester City Punishment
This is probably the most important distinction for supporters trying to understand what happens next.
The Commission has reached its findings on the breaches, but it has not yet determined the sanction.
The Premier League says the issue of sanction will be dealt with separately at a further hearing before the independent Commission. That hearing will remain private and confidential until publication of the outcome is permitted under Premier League rules. Premier League
The Commission has a broad range of sanctions available under the rules, including fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions.
But none has been imposed in this case yet.
So claims that Manchester City have already been relegated, deducted points or stripped of titles would be premature.
The position right now is much simpler: the Commission has found serious financial-rule breaches, City dispute those findings and intend to appeal, while the sanction remains undecided.
What Happened to the Manchester City 115 Charges?
The phrase “115 charges” has followed this case since Manchester City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023.
We previously explained what the reported Manchester City verdict meant before the Premier League published its official findings.
Before the official announcement, reports widely described City as having been found guilty on all but one of those alleged breaches.
However, the Premier League’s official statement does not provide a final total such as “114 out of 115.”
Instead, it says all charges relating to serious financial breaches were proven and that three of four cooperation breaches were upheld. The redacted Core Decision provides a more detailed structure to those findings rather than reducing the outcome to a single headline number. Premier League
That is why NAS-P Football will not present “114 out of 115” as the Premier League’s official count.
The familiar “115 charges” remains useful shorthand for the case, but it does not fully explain how the Commission organised and decided the different categories of alleged breaches.
What Happens Next?
Manchester City have formally lodged an appeal against the Commission’s findings.
In an official club statement, City confirmed that they submitted their appeal at 7pm on Thursday, 1 October 2026. The club disputes the findings and argues that the decision contains errors of law, principle and fact.
The distinction is important: City’s appeal is now a confirmed step, rather than an announced intention. Filing it does not itself overturn the Commission’s findings.
The sanction is a separate part of the proceedings. The Premier League’s announcement states that this will be addressed at a further hearing before the independent Commission.
That September announcement does not establish what punishment will ultimately follow. Readers should distinguish the findings, City’s challenge to them and any subsequent sanction decision.
The Case Has Changed — But It Isn’t Over
The biggest difference between where this story stood a few days ago and where it stands now is certainty over the Commission’s first-stage findings.
Previously, much of the discussion depended on media reports.
The Premier League has published the Commission’s findings. Manchester City reject them and have formally lodged an appeal.
What we still do not know is equally important.
We do not know what sanction the Commission will impose. We do not know the outcome of City’s appeal. And we do not yet know when the entire process will finally be completed.
So this is a major moment in the Manchester City financial case, but it is not the final one.
The findings are official. The sanction is not. And Manchester City’s challenge to the decision is only beginning.