Soriano vows Manchester City will fight financial case as sanctions remain pending

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has told fellow club executives that City will continue contesting the Premier League financial case, BBC Sport reported. His remarks came at a European Football Clubs board meeting in Copenhagen, following reports that the club had been found guilty of most of the charges against it.

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According to the BBC, Soriano indicated that the proceedings remained far from finished. He spoke before the organisation's general assembly and left without taking questions from journalists. The BBC also reported that City intends to appeal, while other Premier League clubs are obtaining legal advice about possible compensation.

No sanctions have been announced. The BBC identified a points deduction, removal from the Premier League or a substantial fine as possible outcomes, not decisions already taken. The league declined to comment, and City said the confidential process still had important stages outstanding. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has maintained that the club expects to establish its innocence.

The Guardian reported that the findings concerned the vast majority of 115 charges relating to financial rules between 2009 and 2018. City has consistently denied the allegations. The Premier League brought the charges in 2023, with disputed financial disclosures including payments involving players and coaches among the issues described by the newspaper.

The case also drew criticism from United States men's coach Mauricio Pochettino, who previously managed Southampton, Tottenham and Chelsea. Speaking to the Guardian, he questioned how financial oversight had been applied and contrasted Tottenham's spending restrictions during his tenure with the findings reported against City.

Pochettino argued that deciding on a punishment would be difficult because a sanction could not undo the sporting consequences of past seasons. His comments represented his assessment of the case, rather than an announcement about penalties or changes to previous competition results.

For now, City's public response remains a commitment to challenge the case. Al Mubarak told supporters that confidentiality limited what he could explain about the club's position, according to the BBC. Neither a final punishment nor a completed appeal was announced in that reporting.