Manchester City have issued their first detailed response to reports 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 English giants. The case largely centres on alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018, but according to Al Mubarak the legal process is still far from over.
"The Premier League process is still far from complete, and our confidence and determination to prove the club's innocence are just as strong as they were at the start of all this," the chairman writes. Friday's reports, Al Mubarak says, have changed nothing about Manchester City's position.
Al Mubarak says he would gladly give supporters a much fuller explanation of 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 so at this time."
He adds that even the open letter was checked several times by lawyers before it was published. Al Mubarak urges supporters to read carefully the statements Manchester City published on Friday and earlier in February 2023 because, in his view, "every word matters and still applies".
Elsewhere in the letter, Al Mubarak also takes aim at people who, according to him, have rushed to their conclusions. "Although some people have been quick to draw their own conclusions and there has been so much noise around us, nothing has changed. We have overcome challenges together before and come out of them stronger."
What consequences a possible final guilty verdict would have for Manchester City is still unclear. According to the BBC, the trophies won by the powerhouse are probably not at risk, but expulsion from the Premier League and a huge fine are obvious possibilities.
For now, Manchester City are sticking to their position that the club have not breached the financial rules and that sufficient evidence exists to prove that. Al Mubarak ends his letter with a call for supporters to keep backing the club: "There are still many who want to undermine our club's momentum. We will not give them that chance."