Gary Lineker Urges Manchester City To Accept Punishment After Rule Breaches

Last Updated:October 07, 2026, 11:14 PM IST

Gary Lineker has urged Manchester City to accept any punishment handed down after the club was found guilty of more than 100 Premier League financial rule breaches.

Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium (Picture credit: AP)

Former England striker Gary Lineker has said that Manchester City’s case looks like an English Premier League conspiracy theory that one wouldn’t want to come true, but now that they are proved, City should accept the punishment for their innumerable rule breaches.

An independent commission said last week that City had arranged ‘sham’ contracts with multiple commercial partners to inflate revenues and reduce costs over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018.

The 10-time English champions, who continue to deny any wrongdoing, confirmed on Friday that they had appealed the judgment. No sanction has been decided yet, but City could face a significant points deduction, a fine or even expulsion from the Premier League.

“Obviously, it looks really bad for Manchester City and bad for the game, too. When they talk about the ‘Premier League conspiracy theories’, you just think to yourself, ‘Well, this is actually the last thing in the world that the Premier League would want,” Lineker said while speaking to the media.

“So, I would love to see Man City now just own it and just say, ‘OK, we got it wrong, but for the good of the game, we will accept it and we will accept whatever punishment comes our way and we will carry on,” Lineker added.

Kyle Walker, who spent eight years at City and won multiple trophies before leaving in 2025, said that the footballers would always have memories of their achievements, ‘whatever happens’.

“It is very difficult because we have worked very hard for them and not just us. I look at the fans that have travelled up and down the country, travelled abroad to Istanbul when we won the treble and they deserve that night as well,” Walker said while speaking on TalkSport.

The independent commission found City guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules over nearly a decade.

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What specific financial rule breaches was Manchester City found guilty of by the independent commission?

An independent commission found that Manchester City arranged sham contracts with multiple commercial partners to inflate revenues and reduce costs over a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018, resulting in over 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules.

What potential sporting punishments could Manchester City face following the independent commission’s verdict?

While no final sanction has been decided yet, Manchester City could face severe penalties including a significant points deduction, a financial fine, or even expulsion from the Premier League.

How has Manchester City responded to the independent commission’s findings regarding financial rule breaches?

Manchester City have consistently denied any wrongdoing throughout the case and confirmed that they have appealed the judgment handed down by the independent commission.

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