Man City lodges ‘comprehensive’ appeal after guilty verdict in financial rule-breaking scandal

Manchester City has lodged a “comprehensive” appeal, the club confirmed Friday, following the publication of a report by an independent commission detailing large-scale financial rule-breaking by the Premier League giant in one of English soccer’s biggest scandals.

“The club’s firm position,” read a short statement from City, “is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.”

City has protested its innocence throughout the long-running case, which dates back to 2018 and reached a milestone Tuesday, when the Premier League published a verdict saying the Abu Dhabi-controlled club was “guilty of all charges related to serious breaches” of the competition’s financial rules from 2009-18.

City has yet to receive a punishment. According to the Premier League, potential sanctions could be a reprimand, fine, points deduction or, in the worst case, expulsion from the competition. No team has ever been expelled from English soccer’s top flight.

City officials said they would lodge an appeal and that was filed on Thursday evening, the club said, ahead of Friday’s deadline.

“The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/sports