One of the biggest cheating scandals in world sports history has erupted in England: Manchester City has reportedly been found guilty of 114 of the 115 alleged breaches of English Premier League financial rules brought against the club in 2023.

The charges relate to the club’s incredibly successful spell between 2009 and 2018 when they won seven major titles, headlined by three Premier League championships.

Manchester City was bought in 2008 by the Abu Dhabi United Group, led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan – a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family.

The group now owns or has a stake in 13 football teams across the world, from New York to Melbourne, meaning there may be ramifications well beyond England.

But Manchester City is expected to appeal, having long protested its innocence – so this case is not over yet.

What are the charges?

The guilty findings are a potentially seismic development in a case that has hung over English football for more than three years.

The charges cover several areas, including:

the accuracy of financial information supplied to the Premier League

player and manager remuneration

compliance with Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and Premier League financial regulations

cooperation with the league’s investigation.

But there are important caveats. The independent commission’s decision has not yet been published, no sanction has been announced, Manchester City has consistently denied wrongdoing........

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