Man City CEO: We provided irrefutable evidence of our innocence

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has sent a video message to club staff following the independent commission's verdict finding the club guilty of 114 of the 115 Premier League financial breach charges. In the address, he assured employees that City will not back down and will explore every legal avenue to defend their stance and clear the club's name.

"I want to share some information regarding the ongoing disciplinary proceedings between Manchester City and the Premier League. A document has been published containing the commission's opinion, which is adverse to our interests. I want to explain exactly what this means, what the next steps are, and how we will continue to defend the club to ensure we are fully exonerated in this process," Soriano said in the video.

He strongly rejected the central allegation of the case—that the owner's personal funds were secretly funneled into the club via Abu Dhabi sponsors—branding it entirely untrue. "This is simply not true. Irrefutable evidence was provided to the commission proving that this could not have happened and did not happen. This included bank statements, fund transfers, witness testimonies, and everything required to conclusively prove that the money did not come from the owner," he stated.

Soriano confirmed that City's legal team will appeal the verdict. "Our lawyers will now file an appeal demonstrating that the decision contains fundamental errors in law, principle, and fact, and cannot be considered safe," he said, referencing the club's successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in 2020. "We will be relentless in our work. We will focus on the independent appeals process, as well as every other legal option available to us, to win the case and take all necessary steps to protect the club," Soriano added.

Concluding his message, he urged staff not to let the ongoing dispute distract them from their day-to-day duties. "I know this can be distracting, but please remain focused on our work and look after our extended family, as we have always done. Very soon, we will look back on this and realise that this is another chapter in our history where we faced adversity and overcame it together," the chief executive concluded.