Businessman and Labour donor Dale Vince has described reports that Manchester City were found guilty on 114 of 115 alleged Premier League financial-rule breaches as "damning", while warning that the case may still face a lengthy appeals process.
The BBC reported on Friday, citing sources, that the independent commission considering the Premier League's case had found City guilty on all but one of the 115 charges commonly associated with the case. The Premier League has not yet published the commission's decision. Manchester City said the process remains ongoing, with significant elements still to be completed and subject to strict confidentiality.
Vince said:
"This is huge, guilty on 114 counts of financial rule breaches, not guilty of one."
He added:
"That's damning."
City says process is not yet complete
The reported finding is not yet the same as a final, publicly confirmed outcome.
Manchester City responded to the reports by stressing that the proceedings are continuing. The Premier League has also declined to comment publicly while the independent process remains confidential.
That distinction matters because sanctions, any further procedural stages and potential appeals have not yet been resolved.
Vince himself pointed to that uncertainty, asking whether a "series of appeals" could delay closure and any punishment.
Charges date back to 2009
The case stems from charges first brought by the Premier League in February 2023 following a four-year investigation.
The allegations cover the period from 2009 to 2018 and include claims that City failed to provide accurate financial information, failed to disclose full details of player and manager remuneration, breached UEFA and Premier League financial rules, and failed to cooperate fully with the league's investigation. City have consistently denied wrongdoing.
A lengthy private hearing took place between September and December 2024 before an independent commission.
Why '115 charges' can be confusing
The case is commonly described as the "115 charges", although the precise number depends on how individual alleged breaches are counted.
Sky Sports has previously noted that the Premier League's original statement was widely calculated as 115 alleged breaches, while some legal breakdowns put the total higher.
For that reason, the most accurate formulation at this stage is that BBC Sport has reported City were found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges in the commonly used count, rather than presenting that as an officially published Premier League verdict.
Sanctions remain unknown
If the commission's reported findings are confirmed, attention will turn to punishment.
Premier League rules give an independent commission wide discretion, with possible sanctions ranging from fines and points deductions to more severe penalties. No sanction has yet been announced.
Any appeal could extend the process further.
City case enters decisive phase
The case has hung over English football for more than three years and has become one of the most significant regulatory disputes in Premier League history.
For Vince, the reported scale of the findings makes the case politically and sportingly significant. But until the commission's decision is formally published, the exact findings, sanctions and next legal steps remain unconfirmed.
