According to The Daily Telegraph, Man City is facing mounting calls for a criminal investigation after Premier League officials formally confirmed that the club breached more than 100 financial regulations between 2009 and 2018. An independent panel found that the club circumvented spending rules by inflating revenue artificially and overstating cost reductions by more than 900 million pounds, while also violating financial reporting requirements by failing to provide a "true and fair" financial picture.

Lord Cruddas, a Conservative MP and owner of CMC Markets (shirt sponsor of Everton), has stated explicitly that this matter should be treated as a criminal case. Cruddas said: "The findings from the Man City investigation clearly must now be a matter for the police. If accounts have been falsified and auditors deceived, this could constitute criminal offences. Auditors will report to the police and UK company directors are personally liable for any fraudulent conduct, even if the company is foreign-owned."

A source from a rival club told The Daily Telegraph that the club's financial conduct should be investigated by authorities outside football. Former Man City chairman and FA head David Bernstein has also questioned whether the matter should be "referred to an external body".

Under Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006, individuals who intentionally make false representations to gain a benefit or cause loss can face up to 10 years imprisonment and unlimited fines. The Act specifies: "A representation is false if it is untrue or misleading, and the person making it knows that it is, or might be, untrue or misleading." Under Section 501 of the Companies Act 2006, anyone who knowingly or recklessly provides misleading, false, or deceptive statements to auditors can be imprisoned for up to two years. The same legislation states that submitting false reports to Companies House is illegal and carries unlimited financial penalties.

Anger among Premier League club directors toward Man City is evident. Some have compared the club's financial misconduct to Lance Armstrong's doping scandal in cycling. One senior official said: "This is the biggest sports story of my lifetime." Others have noted that while fraud has been discovered in other sports, the severity here reflects Man City's business model being deliberately designed for systematic fraud, with no remorse and attempts to evade accountability.

The term "financial doping" has been widely used. It is noted that when Armstrong was proved to have doped with the knowledge and support of the US Postal Service team, he was not the only one heavily punished. Armstrong was stripped of his titles, but the team was also dismantled and sold, and all those directly involved in the fraud and cover-up faced lifetime bans. Some in football therefore believe Man City's owners and executives should face similar penalties for their sustained misconduct at the Etihad.

Hearings will be held in the coming weeks to determine Man City's punishment. They could face fines, points deduction, or even expulsion from the Premier League. They may also face compensation claims from affected Premier League rivals. An independent football regulator and the FA could also take action against Man City's owner, Abu Dhabi United Group. Man City denies all wrongdoing and has until Friday to appeal the decision, which they have confirmed they will do. This appeal will follow procedures outlined in the Premier League handbook.

Man City CEO Ferran Soriano, responding to the panel's decision, stated that the club will use all available legal measures to clear its name, including suing anyone who damages their reputation. While this excludes the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), as the Premier League does not recognize that body, a final challenge could be brought before the Supreme Court under the Arbitration Act. Soriano accused the independent panel of effectively endorsing "Premier League conspiracy theories" by upholding all but one of the alleged violations. He said: "To do so, this opinion must have disregarded the overwhelming evidence provided by the club to reach a conclusion that is plainly wrong."

When Sky News reporter Rob Harris confronted Soriano on the matter Tuesday evening local time, Soriano refused to answer questions. Football Leaks whistleblower Rui Pinto responded to the video, saying: "Completely exposed from top to bottom today, yet still arrogant as ever." Pinto also wrote on social media: "The statement released by the Premier League today has finally clearly confirmed that everything Football Leaks revealed was the truth. The independent panel's description of Man City executives' conduct is particularly damning—there is no doubt they acted with complete impunity, defying everyone and everything. From the start, they displayed complete contempt for the rules, for the bodies responsible for overseeing and regulating the game, for competitive integrity, for other clubs, and especially for supporters. Years of fraud, lies, and manipulation must finally face consequences."

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