Manchester City rejects Premier League verdict, vows to fight on

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Manchester City have rejected an opinion published by the Premier League Commission concerning the long-running case involving the club, describing the decision as both “disappointing and surprising” and insisting that it remains innocent of the allegations against it.

In a statement issued after the publication of the Commission’s opinion, the club said it possessed what it described as a comprehensive body of evidence supporting its position in the case.

Manchester City said it would continue to challenge the matter through appropriate regulatory and legal channels, indicating that it intends to pursue every available avenue of appeal.

“The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League,” Manchester City said, adding that it would be “relentless” and, where necessary, proactive in defending its position.

The club said the Premier League process was still ongoing and that significant elements of the proceedings had yet to be completed.

It also argued that the Commission’s opinion contained what it described as “clear material errors” involving law, principle and fact. On that basis, the club said it considered the opinion unsafe and would pursue the appeal options available to it.

The dispute has been ongoing for eight years, during which Manchester City said it had respected the established legal and regulatory process.

According to the club, it did so on the expectation that the Premier League Board and its executive would operate as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator.

The club also raised concerns about what it described as the possibility of partisan influence in the regulatory process, although it did not provide further details in its statement.

Manchester City said it was limited in what it could disclose publicly while further proceedings remained pending.

The latest statement therefore signals that the publication of the Commission’s opinion has not brought the dispute to an end. Instead, the club intends to challenge aspects of the opinion through the appeal mechanisms available to it.