Manchester City defends its innocence after Premier League accusations

Manchester City does not retreat an inch: after the news, reported by the BBC and The Athletic, according to which the independent panel found the club guilty of almost all of the 115 financial violations contested by the Premier League, president Khaldoon Al Mubarak reiterates his confidence in the defensive line and implicitly announces a new legal battle. The sanctions have not yet been established and City will appeal, according to British media reports.

"The Premier League process is still long and our confidence and determination to prove the club's innocence are as strong as at the beginning of this matter," Al Mubarak wrote in a letter to fans published on City's website. The president explained that he could not provide further details due to the "strict confidentiality" of the proceedings, but assured that the club does not intend to be influenced by the outcry caused by the decision.

At the center of the case are 115 disputes relating mainly to the communication of financial information, revenues from sponsorships and payments to players and coaches. The charges cover a period between 2009 and 2018, while 35 charges concern the club's alleged failure to cooperate with the Premier League investigation. The story has its roots in the Football Leaks documents published in 2018 by the German weekly Der Spiegel. Internal City emails and documents ended up at the center of the revelations. The name of Rui Pinto, Portuguese indicated as the man behind Football Leaks and defined in various reconstructions as a "hacker", thus returns to the scene.

In the meantime, the issue of possible compensation is growing.

According to former Liverpool and Aston Villa manager Christian Purslow, speaking to the BBC, clubs that have faced City in the nine affected seasons could make claims for the economic losses suffered. The situation could therefore turn into an even broader dispute. The Premier League has not commented on the verdict. However, City maintains that the process is still ongoing and that there remain "significant elements" to be completed. The next match, therefore, will be in the halls of sports justice.