Man City punishment date confirmed as key figure speaks out on guilty verdict

City were found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules between 2009 and 2018 and have since appealed.

The head of the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) has named exactly when Manchester City should expect to learn what punishment they face for breaching Premier League financial rules if the guilty verdict on the majority of charges is upheld on appeal.

An independent commission found City guilty of the majority of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League.

City were found to have used “sham” agreements to inflate revenue figures and reduce costs by arranging disguised funding agreements worth up to £900million with commercial partners between 2009 and 2018 – a period in which the club won three Premier League titles.

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City could face a range of punishments, including suspension from playing in the league, points deductions, the replaying of matches, expulsion from the league, being ordered to pay compensation to other clubs, automatic relegation and even the stripping of titles.

The club have appealed the verdict and say they have a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists” to support their position. The result of the appeal is expected within 12 weeks.

And according to IFR chief David Kogan, the Premier League are keen for the issue to be resolved as quickly as possible, with City expected to learn their punishments in early 2027 if the verdict remains the same.

Kogan told Times Radio: “The Premier League have said that they want to get this resolved within the season and actually, of course, it’s not the Premier League, it’s an independent commission that’s going to hear this, made of three retired either judges or lawyers.

“My understanding is there is a prescribed process, which is 12 weeks, and so people are assuming this will actually be heard by the middle or the end of January. But as I say, it’s not our process, it’s that of the Premier League’s independent commission. What I don’t think we can do is take any judgment until we’re quite clear.

“Obviously, City claim that they have some form of silver bullet to put off these charges and win the appeal, and we’re not there to judge whether that’s right or wrong yet, but I think we’ll know in the early part of next year.”

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Kogan has already said he will step down from his role if political interference happens during the process, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham accused of defending City’s owners after having dinners with club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak in 2017 and 2018.

Kogan added: “The prime minister is capable of saying whatever he wants to say. You asked me whether we have had any interference politically in any of the judgments we’re making, and I’m telling you, categorically, we have not.

“We will take a judgment based on evidence, once the appeal has been heard by the independent commission of the Premier League, we’re going to look at that evidence closely, we’re going to actually have powers of investigation ourselves, and that will be what governs what we do.”

City return to Premier League action at home against Ipswich Town on October 17, following their Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain.

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Luke has covered sport – including football, MMA, cricket, and boxing – for SPORTbible since 2024, having previously freelanced at Reach and JOE. When he isn't writing for SPORTbible, he's following Everton home and away. Luke also created and hosted a podcast interviewing guests from singers and bands to footballers and boxers.

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