Friday saw a seismic moment in football when reports said Manchester City was found guilty on all but one of 115 charges for breaching Premier League financial rules.
No official announcement has been made by the Premier League over the case and there is no indication of any possible punishment.
Abu Dhabi-backed City has always strenuously denied the charges and a club spokesperson said the position had not changed.
It is understood City will appeal should the charges be upheld.
But the story has already drawn in reaction from several leading figures from both the sport and beyond.
Rodri Hernandez – Former Manchester City player
“What we did, they cannot take it out of us. It’s something that is not paid by money”. “It’s paid with effort, with partnership, with being shoulder to shoulder every day,” Rodri, who was part of City’s successful era from 2019 to 2026, responded.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak – Manchester City chairman
“The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the Club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began.
“While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed. We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our Club. We will not give them that opportunity,” the club’s chairman since 2008 said.
David Bernstein – Former Manchester City chairman
“The appeal process cannot go on for year after year, I think that would be a disaster,” he said. “Not just for this particular case but for English football generally. The timing is crucial.
“I can’t give a view on the punishment. If they are found, after the appeal, guilty of (the) charges, my beloved club is going to face a very severe penalty.
“All I would say is that money is not sufficient, it would have to be something, unfortunately, more drastic than that,” said Bernstein, who was the chairman between 1998 and 2003.
Noel Gallagher – Lifelong Manchester City fan
“A little surprised when I heard it on the radio. Surprised because only that the club have assured us all along that they vehemently denied any of these charges. So it was a bit of a shock to find out that we’ve been found guilty of all but one. But really overall just quite sad really. Sad for the fans and for the players.
“Whatever goes on in the boardroom, it’s nothing to do with the supporters or the players. The players won that game and won that title on the pitch. Whether some of those players should have been there or not, that’s nothing to do with the fans. We were there, we know what we saw. Does it taint it? I suppose in the eyes of everybody else in England it would, but I know what I saw and I know what I felt,” the Oasis star said on Let Me Talk podcast.
Andy Burnham – UK Prime Minister
“People shouldn’t jump to those kind of conclusions. I know, this has been a long process between the club and the Premier League. I think quite a contested process. So I don’t think it’s as simple as jumping to conclusions. I think we would all need to study the independent commission’s report in some considerable detail before reaching any conclusions,” Burnham said in an interview with ITV Granada Reports.
Rio Ferdinand – Former Manchester United player
“Another premier league medal to be added to the cabinet,” the former defender posted on X.
David de Gea – Former Manchester United player
“Let’s talk. How many Premier League titles have I won then?” the goalkeeper posted on X.
Published on Sep 26, 2026