£1.2bn on transfers with £830m inflated in accounts - Man City's 'asterisk era'
Manchester City has been found guilty of breaching financial regulations between 2009 and 2018, leading to questions about the legitimacy of their trophy-winning era. The club is accused of using a 'disguised funding scheme' to inflate income, which allowed for massive spending on player transfers.
Why it matters
The potential retroactive stripping of titles and legal fallout could fundamentally alter the history of the English Premier League and set a precedent for financial fair play enforcement.
Figure caption, Man City guilty of 'sham' contracts & misleading accounts
Outside Manchester City 's Etihad Stadium is a lustrous silver statue of Sergio Aguero - mouth agape in ecstasy, kit swirling over his head - depicting his goal celebration after securing the club's first Premier League title.
It is the immortilisation of the most famous goal in English league football history, when City snatched the trophy away from Manchester United in the dying seconds of the 2011-12 season.
But what if the goal never happened? What if Aguero had never played for the club? What if City had opted to abide by football's financial rules instead of purposefully breaking them through a "disguised funding scheme"?
Also covering this story
13 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
'This is far from over!' - Manchester City chief Ferran Soriano vows to fight Premier League charges as club prepares to appeal verdict
Mauricio Pochettino on Man City charges: 'We lived through period of deception'
Manchester City guilty of all financial breach charges in Premier League's biggest scandal
Roberto Mancini refers to ‘double’ Manchester City contract and says it ‘isn’t my problem’
Man City guilty: Premier League club knew of independent commission's verdict in the summer - Paper Talk
Man City guilty of using 'sham' deals to distort finances, Premier League says
Pochettino: Manchester City verdicts show fans ‘lived through an era of deception’
Man City guilty of using ‘sham’ deals to distort finances, Premier League says
Pochettino says no punishment can repair Manchester City damage
Premier League confirms Man City guilty of serious financial breaches
Manchester City guilty of Premier League charges after £900m of ‘sham’ contracts
Man City found guilty of all charges of financial rule breaches, Premier League confirms
Premier League will suggest Manchester City punishment to panel
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in