Manchester City were found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, the league announced Tuesday, and the club has until Friday to file an appeal it says it intends to pursue.
The guilty verdicts cover all charges related to financial rule violations between 2009 and 2018, according to a Premier League statement released alongside a written judgment from the independent commission that heard the case.
The league said the "issue of sanction will be addressed separately in a further hearing with the independent commission." That means the punishment — which could include fines, points deductions or worse — has not yet been determined.
City responded within hours, issuing a statement that rejected the findings outright and confirmed plans to fight them.
"Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe," the club said.
The verdict closes a chapter in a case that has hung over English football for years. City, backed by Abu Dhabi ownership since 2008, won six Premier League titles during the period under review and have been the league's dominant force for much of the past decade.
The club's supporters' group, The Citizens Trust, said Wednesday it was still reviewing the full findings, which the Premier League released in redacted form.
"We are still digesting the full findings of the independent commission," the group said. "Within an hour of the verdict dropping, we had an emergency meeting with the Football Supporters' Association to assist us as we begin to consider our next steps."
The Trust said it will consult members and hold a public meeting in Manchester city centre in the near future.
The case carries major stakes for the Premier League, which has faced criticism for the pace of its investigations into member clubs. A successful City appeal would undercut the league's enforcement authority. A failed one could reshape the competitive balance at the top of English football.
City's appeal must be lodged by Friday. Sanctions, if they stand, would come in a separate proceeding.
