It was confirmed via a Premier League statement that Manchester City had been found guilty on all of the 100-plus charges of serious breaches of the English top-flight's financial regulations following a decision made by an independent commission.

As part of the Premier League's statement, the top-flight's chief executive officer Richard Masters said that the findings showed that Manchester City "systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade."

The independent panel's verdict found that City had arranged "sham" contracts with commercial partners to artificially inflate commercial earnings, filed "misstated" accounts to conceal finances, and "significantly" breached Premier League and UEFA spend limits.

Between 2009 and 2018, it was disclosed that Manchester City had been found guilty of inflating the club's commercial revenue by approximately £830 million, while sanctions will now be decided in a separate hearing.

From the side of Manchester City, the club continue to strenuously deny any wrongdoing and a club statement insisted they were both "disappointed and surprised" by the ruling.

With the Etihad Stadium club now expected to appeal, and the option to appeal running until Friday 2 October, additional details concerning various aspects of Manchester City and the club's hierarchy continue to emerge.

Now, according to a new report from The Financial Times, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak was placed on the UK’s official list of approved diplomats in 2020, automatically granting him immunity from any criminal investigation and, in most cases, shielding the person from civil proceedings on UK soil.

The report quotes an unnamed senior UK government figure, who said it would be “very odd” if the likes of Al Mubarak did not have diplomatic status, given he has chaired Abu Dhabi’s Executive Affairs Authority - the equivalent of the UK’s Cabinet Office, since 2006.

Further highlighting the importance of Khaldoon Al Mubarak to the UK, the report points out that in 2021, the UK and UAE launched a sovereign investment partnership, with Mubadala being the lead investor.

That agreement has reportedly generated £30 billion in investment commitments from the United Arab Emirates into the United Kingdom, and was overseen by the Manchester City chairman Al Mubarak.

Whilst Manchester City's chief executive officer Ferran Soriano has addressed matters via a video message issued to club staff, and later leaked across social media, Khaldoon Al Mubarak has so far opted to handle the situation through a letter to supporters.

Al Mubarak's statement was first released on Manchester City's official club website as a direct response to initial leaks of a verdict surfacing last Friday, which suggested that the Premier League giants would be found guilty of almost all charges.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak's letter to supporters said, "This Club matters to me, and you have shown and told me – time and time again - how much Manchester City matters to you. This is why I am writing to you."

In direct response to the verdict, Al Mubarak said as part of his letter, "Here’s what I said to my family: The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the Club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began."

The Manchester City chairman, however, insisted that "the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it" meant he could not say much more at that time, whilst claiming that 'many want to undermine' the club's 'momentum'.

As will no doubt be the case concerning Enzo Maresca and Manchester City's players, the club's chairman closed by pointing towards the big matches on the horizon after the international break - namely an away trip to face Liverpool at Anfield, and the hosting of Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium in the UEFA Champions League.