Commission finds Manchester City liable for rule breaches

An independent commission has found Manchester City responsible for all charges relating to serious Premier League financial-rule breaches over nine seasons, from 2009-10 through 2017-18, the league said Tuesday. The commission also upheld three of four alleged breaches of the club’s duty to cooperate with the league’s investigation. Manchester City rejects the findings and says it will pursue available appeal avenues. According to the Premier League’s account of the decision, the commission found that City used agreements with commercial partners that misrepresented the parties’ arrangements. The league said the commission concluded that the arrangements artificially increased reported revenue and reduced costs by more than £900 million over the affected period. The figure describes the commission’s assessment of the schemes’ purpose, not a sanction or a separate measure of losses. The league said the commission found that sponsorship payments were partly funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment Development Ltd, which owned the club, and that other arrangements reduced recorded operating expenses.