Man City CEO Soriano tells European club bosses club will fight guilty verdict on 115 charges

Man City CEO vows to fight after guilty verdict on 115 charges

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has issued a defiant message to the executives of rival clubs, insisting the club will fight the verdict that found it guilty of the vast majority of the 115 Premier League charges brought against it.

Soriano was speaking at a board meeting of European Football Clubs — formerly the European Club Association (ECA) — in Copenhagen ahead of its general assembly on Tuesday, according to BBC Sport.

He was said to have vowed to fight the charges, stressing that the process still has a long way to run. His comments reiterated what the club's chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a letter to fans on Saturday.

What City were accused of

City were accused of a wide range of rule breaches, centred around claims they inflated sponsorship revenue from connected companies and made other “off the books” payments to circumvent financial regulations.

On Friday, it was announced that the club had been found guilty of the vast majority of the 115 charges brought against them.

What happens next

Premier League clubs are now seeking legal advice about compensation relating to the charges, while BBC Sport has been told City will appeal.

Sanctions are yet to be announced, but the repercussions could include a points deduction, expulsion from the top flight, or a huge fine.