Ferran Soriano has told European club executives that Manchester City will continue fighting the Premier League case, insisting the eight-year process still has a long way to run.
Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has delivered a defiant message to fellow European football executives following reports that the club was found guilty of the vast majority of the Premier League's financial-rule charges.
Soriano addressed the issue during a meeting of the European Football Clubs (EFC) board in Copenhagen on Monday, September 28, where representatives from several major European clubs were present.
According to people familiar with the meeting, Soriano said Manchester City disagreed with the ruling and remained confident that it could ultimately prevail in the long-running dispute with the Premier League.
The comments came only days after reports emerged that an independent commission had found City guilty of all but one of the 115 charges brought against the club.
The Premier League has not publicly announced the commission's findings, and the league has declined to comment on the reports. Manchester City has also not formally confirmed the reported verdict, instead maintaining that the legal process remains ongoing and subject to confidentiality.
Soriano says the battle is not over
Soriano's comments were made at the end of the EFC board meeting in Copenhagen.
Sources who were present said the City chief executive felt compelled to address the situation because of the intense attention surrounding Friday's reports.
The Press Association reported that Soriano told the meeting that City disagreed with the ruling but remained confident of winning and would continue fighting the case.
He also reportedly referred to the extraordinary length of the proceedings.
"It's taken eight years to get here, and it's going to take a lot more time," Soriano was reported to have said.
The reference to eight years relates to the Premier League's investigation into Manchester City's finances, which began in 2018.
Soriano declined to answer questions from reporters as he left the meeting.
The meeting was attended by other senior figures from European football, including Manchester United's chief of international football relations Jean-Claude Blanc and Everton owner Dan Friedkin, who was attending in his capacity as owner of Roma.
City maintains its opposition to the findings
Manchester City's position remains that it disputes the allegations and intends to use the available legal process.
The club's response following the reports of the commission's decision was notably cautious.
Rather than confirming or denying the reported findings, City said the Premier League process remained ongoing, with significant elements still to be completed and subject to strict confidentiality.
The club also said it had respected due process throughout the eight-year investigation and expected the Premier League's board and executive to operate as an independent and impartial regulator.
BBC Sport has reported that City is expected to appeal if the reported findings are upheld through the relevant process.
That means the reported commission decision does not necessarily represent the final outcome of the dispute.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak backs City's position
Soriano's comments came shortly after Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak issued a letter to supporters defending the club's position.
Al Mubarak said the Premier League process still had "a long way to run" and that City's confidence and determination to prove its innocence remained as strong as when the case began.
He also explained that City could not publicly provide more details because of the confidentiality surrounding the proceedings.
The chairman's intervention was significant because the reports of the commission's findings immediately created uncertainty about what could happen next, including the possibility of major sporting or financial sanctions.
Al Mubarak's message therefore established the club's immediate position: the reported findings would be challenged rather than accepted as the conclusion of the matter.
Soriano's comments in Copenhagen reinforced that position in front of executives from other European clubs.
What are Manchester City accused of?
The Premier League charged City in February 2023 following a lengthy investigation.
The case covers allegations relating to nine seasons beginning in 2009-10.
Among the allegations are claims that Manchester City failed to provide accurate financial information and failed to properly report certain revenue and expenditure.
The charges also include allegations relating to player and manager remuneration and the club's obligations to cooperate with the Premier League's investigation.
One area concerns the reporting of former manager Roberto Mancini's remuneration between the 2009-10 and 2012-13 seasons.
City has consistently denied wrongdoing.
The charges also cover alleged failures relating to the reporting of player remuneration between 2010-11 and 2015-16.
A further group of allegations concerns the club's cooperation with the Premier League investigation between 2018 and 2023.
These allegations are part of the wider 115-charge case that has been under scrutiny for several years.
The reported verdict
Reports published on Friday, September 25, said the independent commission had reached its decision.
The Athletic reported that Manchester City had been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges.
BBC Sport subsequently reported that sources had confirmed City had been found guilty of the majority of the alleged breaches, while noting that the Premier League itself had not made an official announcement.
The distinction is important because the reported findings have not yet been accompanied by a publicly announced punishment.
Manchester City has also not publicly accepted the reported findings.
The club's statement instead emphasised that the process remained ongoing.
Sanctions have not been decided
One of the biggest questions following the reports concerns what punishment, if any, Manchester City could ultimately receive.
No final sanction has been announced.
Potential consequences have been widely discussed, including financial penalties and sporting sanctions, but these should not be treated as confirmed outcomes.
The appeal process is also expected to play an important role in determining what happens next.
Until the relevant legal and sporting processes are completed, it remains unclear what sanctions will ultimately be imposed, if any.
BBC Sport reported that Premier League clubs are already seeking legal advice regarding possible compensation claims connected with the case.
The potential consequences therefore extend beyond Manchester City itself.
Other clubs could be affected
The case could have wider implications for clubs that competed against Manchester City during the seasons covered by the allegations.
If the reported findings ultimately survive the appeal process and lead to sanctions, questions could arise about whether other clubs suffered financial or sporting losses as a result of City's alleged breaches.
BBC Sport reported that four clubs have already submitted protective claims reserving the right to seek compensation if City is ultimately found liable through the full process.
The issue is particularly complicated because the charges cover multiple seasons and include different categories of alleged breaches.
Any potential compensation claims would therefore involve separate legal arguments about causation, financial losses and the effect of the alleged breaches on individual clubs.
At this stage, no compensation award against Manchester City has been established.
The case has already lasted eight years
The length of the dispute is central to Soriano's latest comments.
The Premier League investigation began in 2018, while the formal charges were announced in February 2023.
The independent commission hearing subsequently took place over a lengthy period, with proceedings running from September to December 2024.
The reported decision therefore came after years of investigation, legal submissions and hearings.
City's executives have repeatedly argued that the process must respect due process and confidentiality.
Soriano's statement that the matter will take "a lot more time" indicates that City expects the dispute to continue through further stages rather than ending with the reported commission findings.
Roberto Mancini responds
The charges also involve the period when Roberto Mancini was Manchester City's manager.
Mancini was questioned about the allegations ahead of Italy's Nations League fixture against Turkey.
The former City manager said the issue did not concern him and described the matter as something that had already been discussed for several years.
He also rejected the idea that the reported Manchester City finding directly concerned him.
Mancini managed City from 2009 until 2013 and won the club's first Premier League title in 44 years in 2012.
The 2011 FA Cup was another major trophy won during his tenure.
City faces uncertainty over its future
For Manchester City, the immediate focus will be on the next stages of the legal process.
The club has continued to maintain that it will defend its position.
Soriano's intervention in Copenhagen shows that the club's leadership does not regard the reported findings as the end of the matter.
Instead, City appears prepared for another lengthy phase involving appeals and further legal proceedings.
That means the uncertainty surrounding the case is likely to continue for some time.
The situation also places the club's leadership in an unusual position, with the reported findings already generating debate about Manchester City's past achievements, potential sanctions and possible claims from other clubs, even though those consequences have not yet been determined.
For now, the key distinction is between the reported independent commission findings and the final outcome of the entire process.
Manchester City has been reported to have lost the majority of the charges, but the club disputes the findings and is expected to appeal. The Premier League has not publicly detailed the commission's decision, and no sanctions have yet been announced.
Soriano's message to European football executives was therefore clear: Manchester City intends to continue fighting the case, and the dispute that began years ago is not close to being finished.
