On Tuesday, September 29, 2026, the Premier League delivered the most explosive verdict in English football history, finding Manchester City guilty of systematically breaching financial rules over a nine-year period. The independent commission concluded that the club used "sham contracts" to artificially inflate revenues by more than £900 million between 2009 and 2018. While chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and manager Pep Guardiola have frequently been the public faces of the club's defence, it is Chief Executive Ferran Soriano who now finds himself at the absolute centre of the scandal.
The 59-year-old Spaniard has been the architect of City's modern corporate structure since arriving from Barcelona in 2012. However, newly surfaced reports and the commission's findings have placed Soriano's fingerprints directly on the key documents that led to the club's conviction. As Manchester City prepares a desperate appeal, the internal culture Soriano built and the financial strategies he authorised are being laid bare.
Fingerprints on the £900m Scheme
The Premier League's core decision confirmed that Manchester City executed a "disguised funding scheme," wherein commercial partners paid only a fraction of their stated sponsorship fees, with the remainder secretly funded by the club's ownership, the Abu Dhabi United Group. Soriano's direct involvement in orchestrating these financial maneuvers was a critical component of the investigation.
According to hacked documents originally published by German newspaper Der Spiegel and scrutinized during the hearings, Soriano was instrumental in devising creative accounting methods to bypass Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. In one email, Soriano explicitly told colleagues that the club needed to fight FFP but must "do it in a way that is not visible, or we will be pointed out as the global enemies of football."
His problem-solving methods extended to footballing operations as well. When City faced an FFP shortfall in 2013 after paying £9.9 million to sack manager Roberto Mancini, Soriano suggested that their Abu Dhabi sponsors cover the cost by paying the team their pre-agreed bonus for winning the FA Cup. The glaring issue with this accounting maneuver was that Manchester City had lost the 2013 final to Wigan Athletic.
An 'Aloof' Culture and the 'FOF' Clique
Beyond the financial impropriety, a damaging picture is emerging of the corporate environment Soriano fostered at the Etihad Stadium. Unlike his predecessor Garry Cook, who was known for his personable approach, Soriano is described by Premier League sources as an "aloof" figure who routinely "patronises" rival clubs.
Reports published this week reveal that Soriano's tenure created a fractured workplace. He heavily recruited a cadre of Spanish executives, which morphed into a "club within a club." When Pep Guardiola arrived with his own Spanish backroom staff, the divide deepened. British employees reportedly joked that to survive at the Etihad, you either had to be of direct value to Abu Dhabi or an "FOF"—a Friend of Ferran. Those outside his inner circle were frequently left feeling like outsiders.
Soriano's disdain for external scrutiny has also been well-documented. In the small talk preceding one of the few interviews he has ever granted the British press, he joked that he did not need to impress journalists in England the way he did in Spain, noting that his route to power at Barcelona relied on the local press to influence voting socios. This dismissive attitude was on display just days before the verdict in Copenhagen, when he was confronted by Sky Sports reporter Rob Harris. Rather than address the looming judgement, Soriano simply stated, "I have nothing to say, thank you," and turned his back on the journalist.
Denial, Defiance, and What Happens Next
In the immediate aftermath of the guilty verdict, Soriano's response to his staff was characteristically defiant. He distributed a three-minute, monotone video message to City employees, declaring that the financial impropriety "could not happen, did not happen," and dismissing the independent commission's findings as a "Premier League conspiracy theory." The delivery was so stiff and unblinking that some users on social media inaccurately speculated the video was AI-generated.
While Matchwise's AI-driven match analysis will continue to track the on-pitch tactical impact of Guardiola's side amidst this unprecedented chaos, the off-pitch battle will dictate the club's survival. The independent commission is now preparing to rule on sanctions, which could range from catastrophic points deductions to forced relegation from the Premier League.
The fallout is already spreading beyond the Etihad. Rival clubs, including Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United, are reportedly exploring compensation claims, arguing the £900 million in sham contracts cost them titles and Champions League revenues. Meanwhile, City's primary sponsor, Etihad Airways, is considering legal action against the Premier League for reputational damage caused by the verdict's exposure of the sponsorship manipulation. As the legal wars multiply, Ferran Soriano's legacy—once heralded as a masterclass in modern football administration—now threatens to unravel entirely.
What were Manchester City found guilty of by the Premier League?
On September 29, 2026, an independent commission found Manchester City guilty of systematically breaching financial rules between 2009 and 2018. The club was convicted of using "sham contracts" to artificially inflate their sponsorship revenues by over £900 million, disguising direct funding from their Abu Dhabi owners as legitimate commercial income.
What happens next for Manchester City and Ferran Soriano?
Manchester City have stated they will appeal the independent commission's verdict, citing "clear material errors" in the ruling. A separate hearing will soon determine the club's punishment, which could include heavy points deductions, massive fines, or expulsion from the Premier League. As CEO, Ferran Soriano remains in his post, though his position is under severe threat given his documented role in the club's financial strategies.