Central to this case was a website set up in 2015 called Football Leaks, and the Portuguese man behind it– Rui Pinto.

He has been convicted in both Portugal and France since leaking confidential documents about City and other influential clubs and individuals in global football.

Some view him as a hacker who stole information, while others regard him as a whistleblower worthy of protection. Our sports news correspondent Laura Scott has more on this divisive figure.

BBC Radio Manchester

Obviously, this is a huge story for our colleagues at BBC Radio Manchester; earlier today they broadcast a special programme reacting to today's news

You can listen back under the Watch & Listen tab.

Sort of - in 2020 European football governing body Uefa ruled that City committed "serious breaches" of FFP (financial fair play) regulations between 2012 and 2016.

The most serious of the alleged offences was the "disguising equity funds as sponsorship contributions".

City were given a two-year ban from European competitions, but that was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) later that year on the basis that most of the alleged breaches were unproven or time-barred under Uefa's own regulations.

City's fine was reduced from 30 million to 10m euros, though Cas accepted that City did "fail to cooperate with Uefa authorities."

Uefa began its investigation into City after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents in November 2018 alleging the club had inflated the value of a sponsorship deal.

Image source, Getty Images

No. A separate case between City and the Premier League was heard in early 2025.

In 2024, an independent arbitration panel found against aspects of the league's Associated Party Transaction regulations (APTs) after a lawsuit instigated by Manchester City.

A tribunal found the Premier League's rules governing sponsorship deals from the period between 2021 and 2024 were "void and unenforceable".

City and the Premier League reached a settlement in September 2025, with City accepting the APT rules as valid and binding, and both parties agreeing to terminate legal proceedings.

The rules were formed by the Premier League to prevent clubs from profiting from commercial deals with companies linked to their owners that are deemed above "fair market value".

In the days after the Premier League charged Manchester City with 115 breaches of financial rules, then-manager Pep Guardiola gave a fierce defence of the club during a pre-match media conference.

"What's happened since Monday is the same as what happened with Uefa. We have already been condemned," Guardiola said.

"You have to understand that 19 teams in the Premier League are accusing us without us having the ability to defend.

"We are lucky we live in a marvellous country where everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

"We didn't have this opportunity, we are already sentenced. I am fully convinced we will be [proven] innocent."

BBC Radio 5 Live

Manchester City fans have been speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live about the club being found guilty of the majority of the 115 financial charges brought by the Premier League.

Ollie: "Nothing will ever take away from being in Wembley watching Gundogan score after 12 seconds. And when we won the league on the final day against Aston Villa, being on the pitch and celebrating with my dad and granddad and the family. Nothing ever really takes away from that.

"I think for those who were there, the proper supporters, I think nothing will ever change the emotions [they felt] on the day."

Callum: "I'm going to wait for the final verdict, but I mean at the moment, if the charges are true, then I am honestly appalled."

Dan Roan
BBC sports editor

Back in 2019, while City were being investigated by Uefa, and in the wake of the allegations about payments to Roberto Mancini, Pep Guardiola reacted furiously when asked during a news conference following the FA Cup final if he had ever received similar payments.

Guardiola replied: "Honestly, do you think I deserve to have this type of question, the day we won the [domestic] Treble, did I receive money? Are you accusing me of receiving money?"

The journalist involved explained that he had previously asked City, but in the absence of an answer, felt he had little choice but to question the manager.

Guardiola has always backed his bosses publicly, even when, in 2020, City were given a two-year ban from European competitions by Uefa for alleged FFP breaches, a suspension that was eventually overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Two years later, Guardiola said he would walk away from City if he felt the club's hierarchy had ever lied to him. "They explain and I believe them," he said.

Image source, Getty Images

Conclusions will inevitably be drawn from today's breaking news coming weeks after Pep Guardiola stepped down as manager, one year before the end of his contract.

Guardiola said City need "new energy" after he guided them to 17 major trophies in 10 years, and will take up a global ambassadorial role with the City Football Group (CFG) and offer technical advice to its member clubs.

Guardiola's departure comes a year after his close friend Txiki Begiristain - who played a key role in persuading Pep to join City - stepped down as City's director of football.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sounds

If you're after some in-depth analysis of Manchester City's charges, BBC Radio 5 Live have you covered with a four-part audio series.

Clive Myrie tells the football story of the century: the Premier League vs Man City.

Listen here on BBC Sounds

Yasin Patel, barrister at Church Court Chambers, on what Manchester City will do next: "City’s lawyers will now analyse this decision and look at the options open to them to appeal, which may include procedural impropriety, wrongful interpretation of law, and legal errors - importantly, they can guarantee an appeal.

"Sanctions could include a major fine, points deduction, relegation or even all three. Factoring in whether titles and trophies should be stripped, whether other clubs have been robbed of further revenue and opportunities due to City’s wrongdoings and losses incurred, we safely say that this is only the first chapter of a long-running legal saga that will not end any time soon."

Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

Everton were the first Premier League club to be sanctioned for breaching the top-flight's financial rules in November 2023, deduced 10 points which was reduced to six on appeal.

It is understood the Toffees hierarchy will be curious observers to see the official outcome of City's case and how the independent panel came to their ruling.

In Everton's case, there were wide variations in ruling from their initial 10-point deduction, with a three-person appeal board concluding that the independent commission which imposed that penalty "made legal errors" on two grounds.

If you're just joining us, here's a summary of the story so far...

Simon Bajkowski
Chief Manchester City reporter at the Manchester Evening News

On the one hand, there won't be anything today that takes away from the memories that Manchester City fans have had; winning those Premier League titles, the Champions League final, they will say they are our memories and you cannot take those away from us. And that will be true for Pep Guardiola and the players as well.

But from outside of the walls of Manchester City, everyone else will be saying 'you might think they're authentic, but they're not and we're not treating them as authentic'. So all of their success and all of the bragging rights that City fans have had for 10, 15 years will now be turned back in the face and said 'you did it illegally, you cheated, so it's not worth anything'. And that success will be disputed.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio 5 Live

Man City fan David Mooney from the Blue Moon podcast speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "It's a really weird feeling to process. It's been such a good time over this last 10 years or so, it questions your own experience.

"You can't take away the moments that you have had and the feelings that you experienced at the time but when you look back at them retrospectively and with a different lense, it does change how you feel about them.

"I'm a bit shocked and stunned about how to process it and I imagine as times goes on it will just come with a tinge of disappointment more than anything else.

"If we're talking small violins territory here, if Manchester City are guilty then the City fans are just as much the victims in this as everybody else because their feelings have been used as well. It's just that they had a good time for 10 years and now have to face reality."

Manchester City

Manchester City won eight trophies in the period covered by the case (2009-2018), including three Premier League titles, three League Cups, one Community Shield and one FA Cup.

The 2010-11 FA Cup was City's first major trophy in 35 years, while the 2011-12 Premier League title was the first of eight they have won.

One allegation City faced was that they made secret 'off-the-books' payments to previous manager Roberto Mancini via consultancy fees from a club in Abu Dhabi. City and Mancini deny this.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio 5 Live

At 19:00 (BST) today, there will be a special show on BBC Radio 5 Live dedicated to this breaking story.

A special edition of the Football Daily podcast will also be released this evening.

Make sure to tune in.

Last month, the Premier League's chief executive, Richard Masters, told BBC Sport that a verdict on the charges facing Manchester City had "taken longer than expected".

"It's hugely complex. The hearing took 12 weeks," added Masters.

Meanwhile, his counterpart at Arsenal, Richard Garlick, said all teams in the Premier League needed "clarity" on the situation.

"It's not something that I can speculate on," said Garlick. "I just hope that there is a solution very quickly."

Kieran Maguire
Football finance expert on BBC 5 Live

Following the acquisition of Chelsea by Roman Abramovich and then Manchester City by Sheikh Mansour, we've seen similar, of course, with Paris Saint-Germain. The football authorities in both Europe and the Premier League itself didn't want somebody to be able to buy a title. They wanted some form of more level playing field. And that's why these rules were introduced.

They are complicated. They are messy. They have created a cottage industry in their own rights, but they have helped to reduce the ability of individuals or organisations to simply spend and not worry about the consequences.

BBC News

You can watch live BBC News coverage of this story at the top of this page - click 'Watch Live'.

It has been more than three years since Manchester City were charged.

Since then clubs including Everton and Nottingham Forest have been charged with breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and received point deductions.

So why has City's case taken so much longer to resolve?

In short, the magnitude of the City case is vast compared to that of Everton and Forest. Essentially, they both stood accused of making losses greater than £150m over the course of a three-year period. Both were cut-and-dry cases to which their was little defence.

Meanwhile, City face over 115 charges covering several areas of financial regulations spanning a nine-year period. Some of the allegations, such as the Premier League's assertion that City disguised equity funding as sponsorship contributions, are far more complicated than simply spending too much.