Michael Carrick urges swift resolution of Manchester City financial case

Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick called on Friday, 9 October, in Manchester for a swift resolution of Manchester City’s financial-rules case, saying the uncertainty had affected him personally. An independent commission has found City guilty of serious rule breaches, but the club has appealed and any sanction remains undecided.

Carrick told a press conference that the case had raised questions, some answered and others still open. He said he did not know how the process would end and argued that settling it quickly was essential for everyone involved. His comments add a Manchester United perspective to a case with potential consequences for how past seasons are understood, while the formal appeal continues.

What Michael Carrick said about the City case

Asked about the charges, Carrick said: ‘I’ve got my own questions about it. It’s affected me personally in different ways over a period of time.’ He added: ‘But as the case is going now, I don’t know where that stands and how it’s going to end up. So we’ll just have to wait and see.’ He did not specify which effects he meant.

Carrick played for United from 2006 to 2018. During that period, United finished behind City in two Premier League title races, including 2011/12, when the clubs ended level on points and City won on goal difference. That playing history gives context to his comments, but it does not establish what personal effect he had in mind.

What the commission found, and what City disputes

The Premier League said on 29 September that an independent commission had found City guilty of all charges concerning serious breaches of financial rules over nine seasons, from 2009/10 through 2017/18. The commission also upheld three of four alleged breaches of the club’s duties to cooperate with the League’s investigation. City denies wrongdoing and has appealed the decision.

According to the League’s statement, the commission found that sham commercial arrangements and related schemes inflated City’s revenue and reduced its costs by more than £900 million across the affected period. The League said the findings involved misstated accounts and concealed finances, and that the reported arrangements put the club significantly in breach of Premier League and UEFA spending limits. Those are the commission’s findings, which remain subject to City’s appeal.

The League said its investigation began in December 2018 and that it issued a complaint in February 2023. A 42-day commission hearing concluded in December 2024. That sequence helps explain why Carrick described the matter as long-running: the findings came years after the seasons at issue, and a further appeal process is now under way.

NewsJaws previously covered the commission’s findings in its article on Manchester City being found guilty of Premier League rule breaches. The change since that report is Carrick’s public call for a prompt conclusion while City’s appeal remains pending.

What happens to Manchester City’s appeal

On 2 October, the Premier League confirmed that City had lodged an appeal with the Chair of its Judicial Panel. The League said the independent appeal hearing would remain private and confidential until publication of the outcome is permitted. It gave no date for a decision. The commission’s findings therefore do not settle the final outcome of the case.

How other managers responded

Sky Sports reporting carried by MKFM described other managers responding to the uncertainty on Friday. Bournemouth manager Marco Rose said he lacked enough information to judge the case. Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler called it a distraction outside his control. Their comments show that the pending process is a subject across the league, while leaving the decision to the appointed panel.