Manchester City had until Friday, 2 October, to appeal the guilty verdict against the club involving more than 100 charges stemming from financial fair play. The appeal was sent to the Chair of the Premier League's Judicial Panel, who will now appoint a three-person panel to review the verdict.
To be sure, City is still disputing that it did anything wrong. The court of public opinion might have already made its final ruling, but the Premier League process isn't done. The statement from the club continues the same argument that City has made from the beginning of the entire process.
The club's statement read, in part, "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."
Manchester City officially appeals its guilty verdict for allegedly breaking financial fair play rules
According to the league handbook, a ruling on the appeal should be made within no more than 16 weeks (12 weeks for the appeal process and 30 days to announce the appeal decision).
Because the process had been drawn out for several years already (the accusation of the club breaking financial fair play rules involves the years from 2009 to 2018, after all), one might expect the appeal process to run into the summer or beyond.
That is speculation, of course, and the independent panel could finish up their review of the verdict and appeal far sooner, but the Premier League has made the investigation as thorough as possible. One would not expect a snap judgment in this case, either.
A decision on whatever punishment Manchester City receives could also be announced before the appeal process is completed. No one knows what the sanctions might be or whether the punishment would be immediate. City could also choose to appeal whatever sanctions it receives.
Manchester City say they have lodged an appeal after being found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules. pic.twitter.com/2EfEQgpJH3
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) October 2, 2026
The investigation has been going on for so long, but the announcement of the guilty verdict is fresh. That doesn't mean Manchester City and its fans are much closer to a conclusion to the entire situation. That closure could happen soon, but due to other lawsuits that could follow from other Premier League clubs and other entities, we might be years away from a final ending.
At least fans of the Blues know that as of 7 pm BST on 2 October, the club has appealed the guilty verdict. How long it takes to resolve the matter is far less clear.
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