Man City FFP: Reason appeal is already doomed revealed as damning evidence contradicts key defence

· Football365

It has been suggested that Manchester City’s appeal after the FFP guilty verdict could already be doomed, with ‘damning evidence’ revealed.

It has been suggested that Manchester City’s appeal after the FFP guilty verdict could already be doomed, with ‘damning evidence’ revealed.

Earlier this week, the Premier League confirmed that Man City have been found guilty of almost all FFP charges following a six-week hearing at the end of 2024.

The Premier League referred Man City to an independent comission after a four-year probe into the club’s conduct between 2009 and 2018, and that comission found City guilty on 114 of their 115 charges.

However, Man City continue to insist on their innocence, and they confirmed on Friday that they have submitted an appeal.

They said in a statement:

> ‘Manchester City Football Club can confirm that at 7pm on Thursday 1st October 2026 the Club lodged its comprehensive Appeal against the opinion of the Premier League Commission, in relation to the Premier League disciplinary matter. > The Club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe. > > ‘The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case. > > ‘We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete.’

Before Man City’s appeal was confirmed, a report from The Daily Mail shed light on City’s supposed ‘irrefutable evidence’ that they intend to use to clear their name, with it claimed that the additional funding in the so-called ‘sham’ deals was ‘paid by the government’ and not their owners.

The report claimed:

> ‘Those with knowledge of the situation claim that City’s argument is that the monies were actually paid by the government, which owns the sponsors, rather than the club’s owners Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) – a private company owned by Sheikh Mansour – and as such, no rules were broken.’

Man City appeal already doomed

However, a report from The Telegraph insists ‘damning evidence’ means that Man City’s ‘key defence’ has already been ‘contradicted’ by Etihad in a statement to the US government in 2015.

At the time, Etihad Airways stated:

> “The assertion that the Abu Dhabi government paid for Etihad’s sponsorship of English Premier League football club Manchester City is false. > > “In 2011, Etihad and Manchester City entered into a 10 year sponsorship agreement, which included naming rights for Manchester City’s stadium. Etihad funded this sponsorship from its own liquidity.”

Etihad added:

> “We are government-owned and have been since our founding. We are and have always been clear that we do not receive any subsidies from the Abu Dhabi government, and that we are financed through a combination of equity, shareholder and commercial loans. O > > “ur shareholder [The Abu Dhabi government]’s equity and loans are not subsidies under any applicable definition; they are the means by which the Abu Dhabi government has sensibly invested in a successful business model.”

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