The launch of Australia’s domestic football season in Sydney on Wednesday was overshadowed by the Premier League’s finding that Manchester City breached financial rules, a decision that is already rippling across the global game.
City were found guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules, including the use of “sham contracts” over a nine-year period. The club was found to have boosted its income by more than £900m. City deny the charges and have said they will appeal “on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe”.
The A-Leagues confirmed they have not investigated the dealings of Melbourne City, the Australian club affiliated with Manchester City, but pledged to review the Premier League’s findings. APL chief executive Steve Rosich confirmed at the season launch in Sydney that Melbourne City have not been subject to a league investigation. “We haven’t had a chance to review that, so we’ll do that now and consider its findings, and we note that legal process is ongoing,” he said.
The governance links between the two clubs are significant. The City Football Group includes 12 clubs around the world, including New York City in Major League Soccer and Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan. Manchester City board member Simon Pearce is also on the board of the Australian Professional Leagues, the entity that has operated the A-Leagues since 2020, and is vice-chair of Melbourne City. England-born Pearce lives in Sydney and has been a key figure in the A-Leagues’ move to a club-owned model in 2020. Melbourne City and Pearce were contacted for comment.
Pushed on whether the close links to Melbourne City pose a reputational risk to the A-Leagues, Rosich said the Australian game is not alone: “The international football economy is intertwined, so all parties will be reviewing that in time.”
The Manchester City saga is the latest in a string of off-field controversies to affect the A-Leagues, which are set to kick off on 16 October despite a dispute with referees and without a formal pay deal negotiated between players and the APL. Matildas and Brisbane Roar goalkeeper Chloe Lincoln said she had faith that the APL and players could find an agreement. “The goal is to be that full-time professional, being contracted for 12 months of the year, being able to earn a wage which is liveable and not having to rely on other sources of income,” she said. “There’s definitely potential for it to get there.”
A place in the Socceroos’ squad for January’s Asian Cup serves as motivation for many A-League Men players. The injury to Norwich City’s Mohamed Touré has opened up a place for a striker, and coach Tony Popovic has shown an appetite to fast-track local players off the back of domestic form. Midfielder Paul Okon-Engstler, who left Sydney FC in the off-season for FC Köln in Germany, is one example, having starred in Australia’s friendlies against Brazil in the past week.
Melbourne City striker Max Caputo said he is hoping to prove he can be a reliable goalscorer after bagging eight goals last season, four fewer than the top scorer, Auckland FC’s Sam Cosgrove. “I started off the season really well last year and then I sort of dipped a bit, so I’m hoping to be more consistent with my output this year,” Caputo said. The 21-year-old said he is watching the form of Australia’s other young strikers closely, including Luka Jovanović and Archie Goodwin, both former Adelaide United forwards now playing in MLS, and he said he wants to put himself in contention for the Asian Cup. “If I put my best foot forward from the start of the season, I think it gives me every opportunity to be in that squad,” he said.
The 2026-27 season kicks off with the men’s Sydney derby on 16 October between Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers, while the first round of the A-League Women starts on 17 October and features a grand final rematch in Wellington, as the Phoenix welcome defending champions Melbourne City.