Manchester City face Liverpool at Anfield after Premier League financial ruling

Manchester City are due to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, their first match since an independent Premier League commission’s findings on the club’s financial-rule breaches became public. The ruling covers nine seasons and has revived questions about Liverpool’s past title races against City. City has appealed, and neither the appeal nor a separate decision on sanctions has been resolved.

Al Jazeera reported on 8 October that an angry reception is expected at Anfield. That is a forecast about a match still to be played, rather than an account of supporters’ actions. The fixture places City’s players and staff in front of a Liverpool crowd with particular reasons to examine the seasons covered by the ruling.

What the Premier League commission found

In its 29 September statement, the Premier League said the independent commission found City guilty of all charges concerning serious breaches of its financial rules between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons. It also upheld the majority of charges concerning the club’s failure to cooperate with the league’s investigation: three of four alleged cooperation breaches, according to the league.

The league said the commission found that City used sham commercial agreements and misstated accounts to make its revenue appear higher and its costs lower. According to the league’s account of the decision, the arrangements affected the club’s reported finances by more than £900 million across the period. The commission found that Abu Dhabi United Group, which owned City, funded parts of sponsorship and other arrangements that were presented differently in the club’s accounts.

Why Liverpool’s past title races matter

Liverpool finished two points behind City in 2013/14, Al Jazeera reported. That season falls within the nine-season period addressed by the commission. It is the clearest link between Liverpool’s own league results and the period covered by the findings, but the available reporting does not establish that Liverpool will be awarded that title or receive compensation.

Liverpool also finished one point behind City in both 2018/19 and 2021/22, according to Al Jazeera. Those two title races came after the 2017/18 end of the period covered by the commission’s financial findings. The distinction matters when discussing any possible effect on historical results: the findings do not themselves settle what, if anything, should happen to titles won in any season.

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville predicted banners and chanting at Anfield in comments cited by Al Jazeera. His remarks describe what he expects from supporters, not a confirmed plan. The match has yet to show how Liverpool fans will respond, and no decision on past titles has been announced.

City’s appeal and the sanctions still to be decided

City has maintained its innocence and appealed the findings. The Associated Press reported that the club described the commission’s opinion as containing material errors of law, principle and fact and called it unsafe. The appeal means the findings face another stage of review; its outcome has not been published.

The Premier League said sanctions will be considered at a separate commission hearing. Under league rules, potential measures include a fine, a points deduction and other sporting sanctions, according to the league and AP reporting. No particular penalty follows automatically from the findings, and the sources do not establish whether Liverpool or another club will pursue compensation.

AP reported that an appeal hearing should take place within 12 weeks of the filing and last no more than five consecutive days. It said the appeal board may allow or dismiss the appeal or make another order. The Premier League says it intends to complete the process, including appeals and publication of relevant decisions, as soon as possible; it has not supplied a date for a final outcome in the available material.

The people facing the immediate reaction at Anfield are mostly separate from the squad of the period under scrutiny. Al Jazeera reported that, apart from Phil Foden, who is suspended for the match, no current City squad member played for the club during 2009–18. Manager Enzo Maresca joined City’s coaching staff later and became first-team manager in June 2026. Sunday’s fixture will bring the dispute into the stands, while the formal answers on appeal and sanctions remain with the league’s disciplinary process.