Al Mubarak vows City will "prove innocence" as financial rules verdict raises expulsion fears

Khaldoon Al Mubarak has insisted Manchester City remain "just as" confident in their innocence as they were at the outset of a Premier League investigation that has now ended with the club found guilty of the bulk of 115 charges against them. The City chairman addressed supporters directly in a letter published on the club's website, two days after the verdict was reported in the media.

City were accused of a broad series of breaches of Premier League financial rules, with the allegations centring on claims that the club inflated sponsorship income from connected companies and made other "off the books" payments designed to sidestep the regulations. The tribunal-style finding, as reported, covers the vast majority of the 115 charges, spanning multiple seasons of accounts.

Writing to fans, Al Mubarak acknowledged the immediate impact of the news. "Following Friday's media reporting, many of you will have spent your evening answering questions and responding to messages from friends, family and colleagues. So have I," he said. He added: "Here's what I said to my family: The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the club's innocence is just as strong as when this began."

The chairman stopped short of explaining the basis of that confidence, pointing to the confidentiality of the legal proceedings. "There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position," he wrote. "But the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it means I cannot do that at the moment. Even this letter underwent several legal checks to make sure it complies."

The process is not, however, close to over. Premier League clubs are understood to be seeking legal advice about potential compensation claims arising from the charges, and BBC Sport has been told that City intend to appeal. Sanctions against the club have not yet been announced, leaving open the possibility of a points deduction, expulsion from the Premier League, or a substantial fine — outcomes that would dwarf any previous financial punishment in English football.

Al Mubarak, who took over as chairman following City's 2008 takeover, framed the criticism of the club as part of a wider campaign against it. "While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed," he wrote. "We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our club. We will not give them that opportunity."

The financial damage could extend well beyond City themselves. Trevor Purslow, the former Everton executive, used an appearance on Radio 4's Today programme to argue that the case has implications for the entire league. Appearing alongside football law expert Paul Gilroy KC, who described the verdict as a "seismic moment for world football", Purslow said the claims could "spiral out of control".

His argument rested on the scale of alleged wrongdoing across what he described as nine seasons in which Manchester City breached the rules. "If you look at every single season — the nine seasons which we now know Manchester City breached rules — then all of their 19 Premier League rivals in that season, to differing extents, suffered easy-to-compute loss," Purslow said. "Whether it was a place in the Premier League — every place was worth £3m."

He added: "Teams that came fifth who didn't make the Champions League maybe lost tens of millions of pounds — and of course teams that were relegated. Let's say the team that finished 18th would've finished 17th if Manchester City weren't there. And they, of course, suffered huge loss. If you add all those claims up, over nine years, and that's just in the Premier League, you can see that the potential here for this to spiral out of control is huge."

Gilroy revealed that four clubs have already lodged protective claims, formally reserving the right to seek compensation should City be found guilty. The legal exposure is therefore growing even before any sanction is confirmed.

The reporting of the guilty finding, first broken by The Athletic, came 1,327 days after City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023, itself the product of a four-year investigation. It also lands 22 months after a hearing before an independent commission concluded, meaning supporters and rival clubs have waited a long time for a definitive outcome.

The Premier League itself has remained publicly silent. No official announcement has been made, and the governing body has declined to comment. City also refused to confirm the finding directly, instead issuing a statement that read: "Premier League process remains ongoing with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded [body]."

The verdict nonetheless represents a seismic shift for the club, and separate BBC Sport analysis has examined the 115 charges in detail while reporting on how City supporters are coming to terms with the finding. The coming weeks will be defined by three questions: whether an appeal is lodged and on what grounds, whether compensation claims proceed, and what sanction — if any — the Premier League ultimately imposes.