HMRC's Man City probe

Sports · Heat 1.0 / 10 · 3 shows · 7m airtime

The FT reported on October 7, 2026 that HMRC investigated Manchester City in 2018 over whether the club used complex arrangements to underpay taxes, a probe prompted by Der Spiegel's leaked internal emails. Those emails also led to a Premier League investigation; an independent commission found the club artificially inflated its financial position by more than £900 million between 2009 and 2018 through sham commercial deals, upholding 114 of the 115 charges. Reporting since has traced the leak's origin to a 2018 phishing email sent to a club official by Rui Pinto posing as UEFA. Manchester City denies the findings and has appealed.

How 3 podcasts covered it

1. FT News Briefing, 2026-10-07 (8:11 to 9:18)
   Reports the earlier HMRC probe of City
   The FT has learned Manchester City was under HMRC scrutiny in 2018, earlier than previously known, over complex arrangements used to underpay tax; the probe followed Der Spiegel's leaked emails, which also triggered the Premier League investigation.
   New angle: HMRC probed Manchester City in 2018 over complex arrangements used to underpay taxes.
2. Pablo Torre Finds Out, 2026-10-09 (19:09 to 23:51)
   Traces the probe back to Pinto's phishing email
   Traces the road to the verdict back to its start: the 2018 phishing email Rui Pinto sent to a City official, the Der Spiegel publication, the UEFA probe and overturned sanctions, the 2023 charges and 2024 hearings. Adds the hack's mechanics and Guardiola's exit to the record.
   New angle: Rui Pinto sent a phishing email posing as UEFA to a Manchester City official in 2018, starting the leak.
3. Prof G Markets, 2026-10-10 (1:45 to 2:30)
   Recaps the City findings and widens to fraud
   Opens the episode with a recap of the Manchester City findings - 114 counts, roughly £900 million in sham contracts since 2009, eight titles - then widens into a survey of sports and Wall Street fraud. Retelling, with the City facts already on the record.