Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has told senior European club officials that the club intends to continue fighting the Premier League case against it after being found guilty of most of the charges it faced.
Soriano delivered the message during a European Football Clubs board meeting in Copenhagen ahead of the organisation’s general assembly. He indicated that the legal process remained far from finished and that City would continue challenging the findings.
The Premier League investigation began in 2018 and eventually led to 115 charges against the club. The allegations covered a broad range of financial rule breaches, including claims that City overstated sponsorship income linked to associated companies and used undisclosed payments in ways that helped bypass financial regulations.
Reports on Friday revealed that City had been found guilty of the large majority of those charges. However, the case has not yet reached its final stage, with sanctions still to be determined and City expected to appeal the decision.
Possible penalties could include a substantial points deduction, a major financial fine or, in the most severe scenario, removal from the Premier League.
Soriano reportedly stressed to executives in Copenhagen that the case had already taken years to reach this point and could continue for a considerable period. He left the meeting without speaking to reporters.
Manchester United executive Jean-Claude Blanc and Everton owner Dan Friedkin, attending in his role as Roma owner, were among the other senior football figures present.
Other Premier League clubs are meanwhile seeking legal advice over whether they could pursue compensation linked to the findings against City.
The Premier League has not commented publicly on the latest developments. City has maintained that significant parts of the process remain unresolved and subject to strict confidentiality.
Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak also contacted supporters over the weekend, repeating City’s position that the legal process is continuing and that the club remains confident in its case. He said confidentiality rules prevented the club from publicly explaining many of the arguments behind that confidence.
Attention will now turn to the eventual sanctions and City’s expected appeal, with the dispute likely to remain one of the most significant legal battles in English football for some time.