How 13 of the world's most powerful countries have reacted to Man City's bombshell verdict

The most powerful nations in the world have responded to Manchester City's charges

The Premier League has confirmed Manchester City have been found guilty of all financial rule breaches brought against them. And the shockwaves aren't just reverberating around English football, but across the entire sporting world.

Following a landmark investigation launched almost eight years ago, an independent commission concluded that between 2009 and 2018, City orchestrated "sham" contracts to artificially inflate revenues and suppress costs by between £830million and £900million.

In what the Premier League has labelled "the most significant disciplinary case in the league's history," the club was also found guilty of concealing financial streams, violating spending caps and systematically stonewalling the multi-year inquiry.

City have vehemently rejected the verdict, branding the findings a "conspiracy theory" and pledging an immediate appeal, which must be lodged by October 2. Whilst formal sanctions remain undecided, a separate hearing will take place to hand down the penalty.

With potential outcomes ranging from massive points deductions and unprecedented fines to the stripping of titles, the case stands to rewrite the history of English football. Media outlets across every continent have reacted accordingly.

South China Morning Post - Hong Kong

"Man City might be the biggest cheats the sporting world has ever seen. What comes next?" questions the South China Morning Post, based in Hong Kong. "Ben Johnson's Olympic gold and Lance Armstrong's seven Tour de France titles were wiped out. Will City's Premier League crowns go the same way?

"Regardless of how it plays out, this episode has infiltrated every corner of the Premier League, driving a bus through the English top flight's pompous claim to be the world's best domestic competition.

"A penny for the thoughts of executives at Sky Sports, currently paying around £1.3billion a year to screen a league where nobody knows whether what they have watched over the past 17 years was for real, in legal terms, at least.

"With their wish to tighten the belts of fat cats who would have gladly poured their own cash into clubs, and, by extension, invested in the English game, the Premier League has tied itself in knots.

"Railroaded into straitened circumstances, clubs are increasingly selling major assets overseas, leading to a steady talent drain. Still, if Manchester City are found to have ridden roughshod over rules they agreed to be bound to, all bets are off regarding their punishment."

Gazzetta dello Sport - Italy

Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport points to some possible retribution for Inter Milan, who lost the 2023 Champions League final to City, but claims: "This is a huge victory for the English league.

"It means that the Premier League is capable of enforcing its rules and that clubs aren't free to break them. Despite seeing a huge asterisk over its last 15 years, the Premier League as an entity emerges strengthened.

"The damage to their reputation has already been done. The 115 charges are no longer the elephant in the room, but there's no doubt that the club has broken the rules in its rise to the top of English football.

"Even if they aren't removed, those headlines will remain asterisks. Meanwhile, clouds gather over the present until the sanctions become definitive. City's future as a global player, if they're expelled from the Premier League, is at risk."

ESPN - USA

American company ESPN has raised one specific line from the Premier League's "core decision" document, perhaps hinting at how this case will be resolved. It writes: "There is one line in the core decision that offers a little bit of hope.

"Maybe it's a bread crumb from the panel, suggesting what they hope the best possible outcome might be. Article 70 states that 'There was no evidence that [REDACTED] authorised the operation... and so went on without his knowledge.'

"Who are they talking about? Is it Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, the chairman? Could it be somebody high enough up the Abu Dhabi food chain that could legitimately say: 'Enough! We're obviously not getting away with this. There's no evidence that I was involved, so I'm putting a stop to this.'

"'I'm calling up the Premier League and the affected clubs and their owners, most of whom are fellow billionaires anyway, I'm dumping all the responsibility on my lawyers, accountants and club executives and I'm going to see if there's a plea bargain to be had.'

"It's a far-fetched thought and it's also hard to see what a plea bargain might look like - at least one that would satisfy other clubs and their fan bases. It would need to be painful for City not just financially, but in sporting terms too.

"Then again, if there's one thing the owners aren't lacking, it's money. But it might just offer a way out and spare the Premier League another protracted legal battle. If not, if City lose the appeal and the acrimony continues, the knowledge that nearly a decade of Premier League football was, in many ways, a sham, is going to be a body blow.

"Not so much for fans of other clubs because most concluded a long time ago that City were guilty. But for City fans themselves, who were lied to all this time and who put their trust in a lie. Some won't care. Many will. But we'll all have to live with the fallout."

FOX Sports - Australia

FOX Sports in Australia points to a local case for answers: "Those who have been there in the stands for the entire ride are hurting. Fans on the blue side of Manchester who have taken immense pride in their club, who always played little brother to their rivals over at Old Trafford, are outraged.

"After seeing their club emerge from the third tier of English football in the late 1990s to become a Premier League powerhouse, their spirits are broken. They were duped. The titles may stand or like what happened to Melbourne Storm in the NRL when their salary cap scandal was exposed, those triumphs may simply be struck from the record with no champion awarded in those seasons."

The National - United Arab Emirates

It is telling how The National broke the groundbreaking news regarding City. The Premier League's statement, included in many other articles from around the globe, is almost entirely omitted. The outlet's headline references City's impending appeal and almost immediately points to the club's own statement, in which they stated they were "disappointed and surprised" by the verdict.

City's statement is included in full and The National writes that the club's lack of co-operation is only "reported." In 2016, the newspaper was acquired by International Media Investments, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation.

This private investment firm is wholly owned and controlled by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who owns City via the Abu Dhabi United Group and is the vice president and deputy prime minister of the UAE. City came under his ownership in 2008, during which the nine years of financial breaches took place.

BILD - Germany

German outlet BILD dubbed the findings "City's full verdict of shame" and wrote: "The punishment is still pending and will be decided in a separate proceeding. According to the Premier League, fines, point deductions, and other sporting sanctions are among the possible penalties. Media reports also indicate that relegation is a possibility."

Le Parisien - France

French publication Le Parisien suggests that things look bleak for City in its report, which reads: "Officially sanctioned, Manchester City can expect the worst."

A Bola - Portugal

A column in Portuguese paper A Bola claims fans might abandon the club: "I can't help but think of the fans who, after years of being Manchester's poor relation, were on top in every aspect: money, titles, players, and who may now start fleeing in droves."

Viaplay - Norway

The future of striker Erling Haaland will be a topic of debate should City receive severe punishment and Viaplay in Norway has likened the situation to Lance Armstrong's infamous doping case.

The panellist wrote: "I have read the premise and justification for the Premier League finding Man City guilty. In my mind it is a 'Lance Armstrong moment.' The number of offences. The seriousness of several of them. How long has it been going on? Based on those premises, there is no doubt. It is financial doping and must be punished severely."

The Times of India - India

Haaland's future was the sole focus of The Times of India: "If Haaland himself decided that remaining outside the Premier League was not compatible with his ambitions, the situation could develop into the kind of blockbuster transfer that few clubs could ignore."

Daily Maverick - South Africa

The Daily Maverick in South Africa uses Chelsea's recent disciplinary matter to put City's breaches into perspective: "A recent matter regarding Chelsea, in which they incurred a £10-million fine after breaking the Premier League agent regulations 74 times, offers a clear contrast. In that instance, Chelsea were praised for self-reporting the violations.

"The Blues were also determined not to have derived any meaningful sporting benefit. Conversely, neither mitigating circumstance seems relevant to City's situation, given the widespread allegations of fraudulent financial reporting and the concentration of charges concerning non-compliance with league rules."

La Tercera - Chile

La Tercera in Chile issued concern about City being stripped of titles, including the 2013/14 Premier League crown won under Chilean Manuel Pellegrini: "The league is now in a position to impose drastic sanctions on City, including stripping them of the titles they won, one of which was with Pellegrini as manager."

Mundo Deportivo - Spain

Finally, Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo, like many other outlets around the world, states that whatever punishment is imposed on City, this is a stain that will never be washed off.

It penned: "Whatever the punishment, City's glory days will be overshadowed. The team that dominated the Premier League for a decade might even win its appeal, but for the public and the other clubs, the suspicions that it broke the rules of competition, using fake sponsorships to disguise Abu Dhabi's money, are already well-founded.

"Despite the mockery they have displayed for years and regardless of how long the legal battle drags on with the appeal, one thing is certain: English football will never be quite the same.

"The inevitable outcome, whatever the final sanction, will be the irreparable stain that falls upon Manchester City. A shadow of doubt will always hang over their successes, hovering around the dirty methods they used to win titles and trophies."