An independent disciplinary commission has ruled that Manchester City artificially inflated their revenues by £830.69m through a series of “sham” commercial deals over a nine-year period.
Of the £949.94m City claimed in commercial income from 2009-10 to 2017-18, only £119.25m was legitimate, with the rest coming from the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) which owned the club.
Year by year, this is how those bogus sponsorship deals gave City huge power in the transfer market and enabled them to assemble serial winning teams.
2009-10
Recorded sponsorship fees £27m
Fees actually paid by sponsors £4.5m
‘Sham’ claim £22.5m
Total season spend £147m
Headline signings
Carlos Tevez (£47m, previously on loan at Manchester United)
Argentina striker’s defection from Old Trafford proved start of a power shift.
Emmanuel Adebayor (£25m from Arsenal)
Flamboyant striker’s signing from Arsenal was a huge coup at the time.
2010-11 – FA Cup winners
Recorded sponsorship fees £41.25m
Fees actually paid by sponsors £12.75m
‘Sham’ claim £28.5m
Total season spend £153m
Headline signings
Yaya Touré (£25m from Barcelona)
Towering figure in City’s early Abu Dhabi success who scored the winning goal in 2011 FA Cup final.
David Silva (£25m from Valencia)
One of the great Premier League midfield technicians spent a decade at club.
2011-12 – Premier League winners
Recorded sponsorship fees £86.75m
Fees actually paid by sponsors £16m
‘Sham’ claim £70.75m
Total season spend £80m
Headline signings
Sergio Agüero (£38m from Atlético Madrid)
Iconic Argentina striker who scored club’s most famous goal to win title on goal difference from Manchester United.
Samir Nasri (£24m from Arsenal)
City beat United to the France midfielder.
2012-13
Recorded sponsorship fees £121.75m
Fees actually paid by sponsors £16m
‘Sham’ claim £105.75m
Total season spend £50m
Headline signings
Javi García (£16m from Benfica)
Midfielder spent two years at the club.
Matija Nastasic (£13m from Fiorentina)
Defender who failed to build on a promising debut season.
2013-14 – Premier League and League Cup winners
Recorded sponsorship fees £127.5m
Fees actually paid by sponsors £16m
‘Sham’ claim £111.5m
Total season spend £102m
Headline signings
Fernandinho (£35m from Shakhtar Donetsk)
Brazil midfielder later became captain and a hugely influential figure.
Alvaro Negredo (£25m from Sevilla)
Scored 23 goals in a season before being offloaded.
2014-15
Recorded sponsorship fees £123.2m
Fees actually paid by sponsors £16m
‘Sham’ claim £107.2m
Total season spend £88m
Headline signings
Eliaquim Mangala (£42m from Porto)
Defensive flop and one of worst signings of Abu Dhabi era.
Wilfried Bony (£28m from Swansea)
Striker failed to replicate Swansea form at City.
2015-16 – League Cup winners
Recorded sponsorship fees £136.17m
Fees actually paid by sponsors £16m
‘Sham’ claim £120.17m
Total season spend £155m
Headline signings
Kevin De Bruyne (£55m from Wolfsburg)
Belgium midfielder went on to become arguably the greatest City player in history.
Raheem Sterling (£49m from Liverpool)
England forward scored 131 goals in 339 appearances before £50m switch to Chelsea.
Nicolás Otamendi (£32m from Valencia)
Argentina defender was a key figure in 2017-18 title win.
2016-17
Recorded sponsorship fees £140.59m
Fees actually paid by sponsors £11m
‘Sham’ claim £129.59m
Total season spend £171m
Headline signings
John Stones (£50m from Everton)
England defender spent a decade at the club and won 17 major trophies.
Leroy Sané (£42m from Schalke)
Germany winger was crowned PFA Young Player of the Year in 2017-18.
Gabriel Jesus (£27m from Palmeiras)
Brazil striker was later sold to Arsenal for £45m.
Ilkay Gündogan(£21m from Borussia Dortmund)
Pep Guardiola’s first signing who captained City during their historic treble season.
2017-18 – Premier League and League Cup winners
Recorded sponsorship fees £145.73m
Fees actually paid by sponsors £11m
‘Sham’ claim £134.73m
Total season spend £264m
Headline signings
Kyle Walker (£50m from Tottenham)
Won six Premier League titles and the Champions League during his eight years with the club.
Bernardo Silva (£43m from Monaco)
No one made more City appearances under Pep Guardiola than the six-time Premier League winner.
Ederson (£35m from Benfica)
One of the greatest goalkeepers of the Premier League era made 372 appearances for City.
Aymeric Laporte (£57m from Athletic Club)
Signed in January 2018 and became a key defensive figure.
Overall transfer spend during this nine-year period: £1.21bn