Manchester City's chief executive Ferran Soriano has sent a video message to staff after the club was found guilty of all charges by the Premier League. The verdict, confirmed on Tuesday, clears the way for an appeal which City says it will pursue. Soriano said in the message that the case is based on a 'single false accusation' that owners' money was secretly funneled into the club via Abu Dhabi sponsors. He stressed that irrefutable evidence, including bank statements and witnesses, proves the claim is untrue. Soriano reminded staff that City won a similar case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2020 after being wrongly ruled against. He said lawyers will file an appeal arguing the opinion contains clear material errors of law, principle and fact. The message urged employees to remain focused and relentless in defending the club's name. Soriano said the goal is to eventually be vindicated through the independent appeal process. He did not mention any specific timelines or potential sanctions from the verdict. The video was obtained by the Manchester Evening News and shared internally with club personnel. City maintains it will continue fighting the charges through all available legal avenues.
- Verdict: Guilty on all charges
- Appeal: To be filed by lawyers
- Key argument: Based on false accusation of Abu Dhabi funding
- Past precedent: Won CAS appeal in 2020
- Evidence cited: Bank statements, money transfers, witnesses
- Messenger: Ferran Soriano, CEO
- Recipients: Manchester City staff
- Format: Three-minute video message
- Source: Manchester Evening News
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Source: Mirror
