Manchester City respond for the first time to guilty verdict

Manchester City have responded in detail for the first time to reports that the club have been found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules. Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak insists in an open letter to supporters that City remain fully convinced of their innocence.

The Athletic reported on Friday that Manchester City have been found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges brought against the Premier League club. The case largely centres on alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018, but according to Al Mubarak the legal process is far from over.

"The Premier League process is far from concluded, and our confidence and determination to prove the club's innocence are just as strong as at the beginning of all this," the chairman writes. Al Mubarak makes clear that Friday's reports have changed nothing in Manchester City's position.

He also says he would like to give supporters much more detail about the club's position. "There are so many things I would like to share with you to help you understand why we are so certain of our position. But because of the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect that, I cannot do that at this moment."

According to Al Mubarak, even the open letter was checked legally several times before it was made public. He urges supporters to read carefully the statements Manchester City published on Friday and earlier in February 2023 because, according to him, "every word matters and still applies".

Elsewhere in the letter, Al Mubarak also takes aim at people who, according to him, have jumped to their conclusions too quickly. "Although some people have been quick to draw their own conclusions and there is so much noise around us, nothing has changed. We have come through challenges together before and emerged stronger from them."

Any consequences of a possible final guilty verdict for Manchester City remain unclear. According to the BBC, the major power's trophies are probably not at risk, but exclusion from the Premier League and a huge fine are obvious possibilities.

For now, Manchester City are sticking to the position that the club have not breached the financial rules and that sufficient evidence exists to prove that. Al Mubarak ends his letter with an appeal for supporters to keep backing the club: "There are still many who want to undermine the momentum of our club. We will not give them that chance."