Soriano tells EFC board City will fight after commission finds club guilty as rivals press for publication

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano told a meeting of the European Football Clubs board on Monday that City will fight to prove its innocence after an independent commission found the club guilty on the vast majority of the Premier League's 115 charges; the finding first emerged on Friday but has not been published by City or the Premier League.

A number of Premier League clubs are urging that the commission's verdict be published as soon as possible, while City has dug in for a long battle to clear its name. The EFC board includes Jean-Claude Blanc, the head of Ineos Sport and chief of international football relations at Manchester United, and Everton owner Dan Friedkin. Soriano is understood to have opened the meeting by requesting permission to make a brief statement to the board. His readiness to speak about the ruling was reported as a surprise to other members.

Soriano told the board he disagreed with the commission's ruling and said he and City were confident of eventually winning their battle. He also noted that it has been eight years since the original allegations were made. Soriano added that it could take considerably more time for a definitive conclusion to the saga.

Club executives received a broad outline of the independent commission’s findings last Thursday but have received no update since and the verdict has yet to be published. The ongoing delay has become a source of frustration for rival clubs, who say they remain in the dark over the details and the likely timeframe of any resolution. One club source said on Monday: "All we have is a void, and it would be better for everyone if it was filled as soon as possible."

Soriano declined to comment when approached by reporters after the EFC board meeting. The Premier League has not commented or provided any indication of when the judgment will be published.