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An independent commission has found that City broke Premier League financial rules by disguising £830.69m of owner funding as sponsorship income.

City's lawyers argued during the 2024 hearing that the funding had come from the Abu Dhabi government, but this was rejected by the commission.

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• What if Man City's PL title and trophies are stripped?

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In their judgement the commission "concluded that it was an explanation that the club had concocted well after the event in an attempt to conceal the realities of the Disguised Funding Scheme".

Manchester City is majority owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Newton Investment and Development LLC.

Sheikh Mansour is a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi and he is the vice president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.

Manchester City continue to deny any wrongdoing and plan to appeal before Friday's deadline.

The potential problems with Man City's appeal argument

Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol:

"The problems I can see with this line of argument are two-fold.

"Firstly, they have already argued this, during the original hearing in the autumn of 2024, and it has been dismissed already by the independent commission.

"Secondly, how big of a difference is there between the Abu Dhabi government and the owners of Manchester City? We know there are close links between the two.

"For instance, City are majority owned by Sheikh Mansour's Newton Investment and Development LLC.

"Sheikh Mansour is also a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi and he is the vice president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.

"So it is going to be complicated, and it could be a long shot to go into the appeal to argue that the money came from the government and not the owners. But that is going to be one part of the strategy that City are going to be pursuing."

Why independent commission rejected City's explanation

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The independent commission's report, released earlier this week, showed how City unsuccessfully argued against the "Disguised Funding Scheme" using this explanation.

City contended that the Abu Dhabi sponsors had always been liable for - and paid - the amounts stated in their financial reports. They denied that it was paid by Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG - the company owned by Shiekh Mansour that owns the City Football Group) or using ADUG funds.

City's lawyers argued that sometimes the sponsors would apply for financial support from the Abu Dhabi government to help pay for those sponsorship fees.

City contended that the Premier League wrongly identified this financial support from the Abu Dhabi government as money from ADUG.

The report states City claimed that "in each case" the level of government support had been the amount the Premier League "wrongly contended" was from ADUG.

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The commission rejected City's explanation, which it concluded had been "concocted well after the event in an attempt to obscure and conceal the realities of the Disguised Funding Scheme".

The commission also used an example of the "Disguised Funding Scheme" in action from May 2013.

City, the report says, were faced with potentially falling foul of UEFA's financial fair play (FFP) rules following an unexpected shortfall on their books less than a week before the end of the financial year.

In a matter of days, the report adds, City generated amended sponsorship agreements that recorded additional Abu Dhabi sponsorship income.

They did this, the report says, without the sponsors ever being approached and, in turn, plugged the shortfall to avoid breaking UEFA's FFP rules.

Why Man City's appeal could drag into 2027

Latest from Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol and Amar Mehta:

Manchester City's appeal could drag on into next year if they argue that the process should not be run according to Premier League rules which were introduced for this season.

City have until Friday to file their appeal and the new rules about appeals state that this part of the disciplinary process has to be concluded within 12 weeks and the appeal hearing can last no longer than five days.

City's lawyers could argue that they were charged in 2023 and a hearing was held in 2024 - when the rules about a speeded-up appeals process were not in the Premier League Handbook.

A legal expert told Sky Sports News Manchester City would have a strong case for arguing that the new rules should not apply in this case.

The new rules were introduced to ensure that clubs, where possible, were punished in the same season as relevant rule breaches. %!s()

Wizards of the Coast confirmed it's bringing back the Secret Lair x MSCHF set

Magic's Secret Lair Zeta Set gets a second chance after disastrous drop

Image: Wizards of the Coast | Graphic: Polygon

Magic: The Gathering's sold-out Secret Lair x MSCHF: The Zeta Set will return, Wizards of the Coast announced Thursday, after a disastrous Drop in September that the company has since apologized for. Unlike the previous pre-order window for the Zeta Set, Magic fans won't have to sit through queues or waiting rooms, because it sounds like Wizards is making sure that everyone who wants the Secret Lair x MSCHF collab will get one — if they're patient enough.

In an update on the Secret Lair x MSCHF: The Zeta Set situation posted Thursday, director of Secret Lair Matthew Hodgins explained how the previous Secret Lair Chaos Vault Drop went so wrong, and what Wizards is trying to do about it.

What happened with the Secret Lair x MSCHF: The Zeta Set Drop

In early September, Wizards of the Coast opened orders for the special Drop on the Secret Lair website, and it was an unqualified disaster. Fans waited in long queues and couldn't complete their purchases as the set quickly sold out to those who were successful. Wizards immediately apologized, saying at the time, "There's no other way to say it. We're incredibly sorry for the experience, and we're trying to get to the bottom of it. We are in the process of investigating exactly what went so very wrong and will share more as soon as we're able to untangle the mess and understand the root cause — be it an internal systems issue or external tampering."

On Thursday, Hodgins provided more color on the Drop, offering some insight and a personal apology for what went wrong.

"This was not simply a case of the product selling faster than we expected," Hodgins said, citing an investigation by Wizards' processing partner. "Early in the sale, the systems supporting the launch experienced an external service disruption. Our partners took immediate steps to restore stability, but, obviously, this impacted the entire sale."

He added, "When the backend systems were strained, I made the call to pause the queue. That was the right technical decision, as letting people through to a checkout that couldn't process their order would have made everything worse. Our inventory was still reporting enough stock that, once unpaused, we were still expecting to fulfill a significant number of orders for those of you waiting. However, as we finished processing, the backlog was much larger than expected and inventory quickly normalized to show we were much closer to selling out than initially estimated."

The result, Hodgins said, was that "thousands of you sat in a waiting room for roughly an extra hour and a half, with no real information, and only a select few were able to get the last remnants of stock as we brought the sale back online."

Hodgins said that, for Magic fans who did manage to get a set, orders are estimated to begin shipping Nov. 5 in North America and on Dec. 8 in Europe and the U.K.

What's next for Secret Lair x MSCHF: The Zeta Set

Wizards of the Coast is going to sell more. On Dec. 9, the Secret Lair x MSCHF: The Zeta Set will go on sale for a 24-hour limited order window. "No setting an alarm for a specific minute and hoping," Hodgins said. "If you want Secret Lair x MSCHF: The Zeta Set, everyone who orders it during that window will have it fulfilled."

The second batch of The Zeta Set will ship in the second half of 2027.

For a certain segment of the buying audience, Wizards reopening orders will not be great news, so the company is letting anyone who did successfully pre-order The Zeta Set in September and no longer wants one cancel their existing order(s).

"If this change means Secret Lair x MSCHF: The Zeta Set isn't what you signed up for anymore, I understand completely, and you should feel no obligation to keep it," Hodgins said. Aggrieved buyers can submit a ticket with Wizards by Oct. 9, and the company will cancel their unwanted orders, no questions asked. %!s()

Parke Varsity Mockneck in Partnership With Pink Aid

Colorway: Courage.

Parke tapped three cancer survivors, advocates and content creators to front the October campaign: Miranda McKeon, Victoria Glass and Victoria Price. McKeon, who was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer at just 19, was also named Parke’s Philanthropic Marketing Advisor.

As for the collection, 27 percent of all proceeds support Pink Aid’s mission. Prices range from $17 for the Claw Clip to $150 for the striped robe. Other pieces include sweatpants, lounge pants and a merino wool and cashmere triangle scarf. The capsule’s sweatshirts feature an embroidered pink heart on the sleeve.

Since launching in 2022, Chelsea Parke’s direct-to-consumer clothing line has taken social media by storm. What started as reworked denim quickly turned into limited-release loungewear, most notably, Parke’s signature mockneck, known to sell out within minutes of online drops. By April 2026, the viral fashion brand made its way into Target stores nationwide.

Shop the full Pink Aid 2.0 collection, available while supplies last, at Parke.com. Plus, check out what’s left of Parke’s debut Collegiate Collection in partnership with ’47 sportswear, and Parke’s newly launched Fall 2026 drop.

Related: Mary Tyler Moore’s Most Famous Fits Inspire a New Collection Benefiting Diabetes Research %!s()

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The Celebrity Traitors is back across the pond, with an all-new season premiering tonight, Oct. 1, at 8 p.m. BST. The fan-favorite reality show, which first hit screens in the U.K. in 2022, is returning for its second season with some major names in the cast. Viewers will see stars including Bella Ramsey, James Blunt, and Jerry Hall enter the castle and compete for the grand prize.

If you’re in the United States and wondering how to watch Season 2, you can access the series with a VPN. The show is airing on British network BBC One and streaming on BBC iPlayer, so U.S. viewers will need a service such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN, or Proton VPN to do this.

At a Glance: How to Watch The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 in the U.S.

• Channel: BBC One and BBC iPlayer
• Premiere date and time: Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 at 8 p.m. BST
• Weekly schedule: Every Thursday and Friday, with the option to watch later on demand
• U.S. streaming: Express VPN, Proton VPN, NordVPN

Our editors swear by VPNs for viewing shows and movies that haven’t made their way to U.S. screens yet, including Neil Peart: No One’s Disciple and other international releases. They’re an easy and relatively affordable way to tune into content that may otherwise be blocked outside its home country.

Season 1 of The Celebrity Traitors drew nearly 15 million viewers per episode, and the franchise has plenty of fans in the U.S., too. Peacock is currently airing The Traitors: New Blood, which features everyday players rather than international icons, and has already amassed millions of viewers per episode.

There are a few key differences between the U.K. and U.S. versions of The Traitors. For starters, Alan Cumming serves as the host of the U.S. edition, bringing his eccentric, fashionable energy to the castle, while Claudia Winkleman hosts the U.K. version. The celebrity edition also has contestants competing to win prize money for a charity of their choice, while the U.S. version has players competing for cold, hard cash.

Where to Watch The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 in the U.S.

U.S. fans will have to wait a little longer for the traditional version of The Traitors to return. Season 4 isn’t expected until 2027, with notable names including Kristin Chenoweth and Joey Graziadei joining the cast. If you don’t want to wait that long, here’s how to watch The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 from the U.S. using a VPN.

Editor’s pick

Express VPN

Once you sign up for ExpressVPN, you can connect to a U.K. server and access The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 through BBC One or BBC iPlayer. This is our top pick for a VPN because it delivers a quick, reliable connection.

Proton VPN

We also added Proton VPN to this list because of its 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with your experience watching The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 through the service, you can request a refund.

NordVPN

Right now, NordVPN is offering 75% off, making it an affordable option for viewers who want to stream The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 from the U.S. With the discount, you can use the service to access the entire season through BBC iPlayer.

Is The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 Available in the U.S.?

No, The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 isn’t currently available to stream in the United States. You’ll need a VPN to access the series from the U.S.

A VPN essentially hides your current IP address and gives you a new one associated with the U.K., making it look as though you’re browsing from there. It is safe and effective.

The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 Premiere Date, Time, Cast

The Celebrity Traitors UK Season 2 premieres Oct. 1, 2026, at 8 p.m. BST. U.S. viewers can use a VPN to access the series through BBC One or BBC iPlayer. You can find the entire cast list below.

• Amol Rajan: Journalist and Broadcaster
• Bella Ramsey: Actor
• James Acaster: Comedian and Podcaster
• James Blunt: Singer/Songwriter
• Jerry Hall: Model and Actress
• Joanne McNally: Comedian
• Joe Lycett: Comedian
• Julie Hesmondhalgh: Actor
• King Kenny: Content Creator
• Leigh-Anne Pinnock: Singer/Songwriter
• Maya Jama: Broadcaster and Entrepreneur
• Michael Sheen: Actor and Presenter
• Miranda Hart: Actor and Author
• Myha’la: Actor
• Professor Hannah Fry: Broadcaster and Mathematician
• Richard E. Grant: Actor and Author
• Rob Beckett: Comedian
• Romesh Ranganathan: Comedian
• Ross Kemp: Actor and Presenter
• Sebastian Croft: Musician and Actor
• Sharon Rooney: Actor

For one of the new projects, announced during the Bloomberg Screentime conference Thursday, Anonymous has commissioned author Nicholas Boggs, to write the script for a feature film adaptation of Boggs’ Baldwin: A Love Story, along with his partner, author Marlon James, author of The Disappearers. The project will be co-produced with Higher Ground.

Additionally, the company, backed by Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective, said it will look to move into live events including Broadway and potentially move into the content creation space. This comes after Emerson Collective made a “material investment” in the company in January, alongside Walker’s appointment as CEO.

“So there’s no doubt that the content creators, these independent content creators, figuring out how to have a portal to that community, that community of writers, that community of creators in places that we don’t normally go, and making sure we have team members who can have tentacles in those places,” Walker said. “And then looking at things like theatrical, and looking at different ways for us to work. And when I say theatrical, I mean Broadway. I mean live events.”

As part of this new era, under Walker, who joined in January after serving as the president of the Ford Foundation, the company is also reconstituting the board, with Jobs joining as a board member, alongside former HBO CEO Richard Plepler.

Over the next year, Walker added that he’s committed to doing a minimum of eight films, with more to come in the following years. Up until now, the media production company has been behind shows such as Netflix’s upcoming East of Eden, and the Emmy Award-winning Remarkably Bright Creatures, as well as shows such as True Detective, Mr. Robot and 13 Reasons Why.

“We have been a fee-for-hire production company. We have not invested for the most part. We have not been lead, in part because we haven’t invested. The board now and Emerson has made it possible for us to become a financier in the market, so we’ll be able to co-finance, finance, take the lead in financing in film,” Walker said.

“It’s necessary because fee-for-service is a bad way to build a company,” Powell Jobs added.

They added that this will mean the balance sheet for the company will increase, but that the company will have “an envelope” with which to make the financing decisions.

“It’s is a slight, subtle change in priorities when you look for excellence, when you look for the highest quality, when you look for material that moves humans and touches us and stays inside us and reminds us of what we’re capable of, if that’s your number one, and then making money is number two, then you actually end up making films that people really want to see that,” Powell Jobs said.

Pressed about whether this means the company is “not in a rush” to get a return, Powell Jobs said “that’s correct,” adding “but the company has to be self-sustaining.”

The company also has a management arm. Asked if they would look to combine with other management firms, Walker said they would likely make some “acquihires.”

“I’m not going to comment on any particular part of the verticals and target companies, but we plan to grow. We’re going to grow through. We’re going to grow organically. We’re going to probably make some acquihires, and if there is a transaction that makes sense, which is these days because valuations are so inflated. We would look at that absolutely,” he said.

While Jobs’ Emerson Collective has invested more than $1 billion in artificial intelligence, when asked, she added that she did not foresee any conflict between that and in working with filmmakers who may be against AI.

“We actually want to be part of human flourishing and the positive momentum forour human race and our planet. If it doesn’t fit into that category, then it’s not for us,” Powell Jobs said of Emerson Collective. “As far as AI is concerned, it’s really important to have a seat at that table and understand how models are being trained, and perhaps speak to them as they’re learning and course correcting along the way. Much better to be in the conversations than to be outside.” %!s()