The Premier League’s independent Commission decides whether a club breached a rule after the League’s Board investigates and refers a written complaint. If it finds a breach, the Commission decides the sanction. The Board does not automatically send every suspected breach to a Commission, and a later appeal is heard by a separate Appeal Board.
What the Commission does
The Commission is the decision-making group appointed to hear a particular complaint. It is selected from the Premier League’s Judicial Panel, which the League describes as a pool of legal, financial and other experts. The League says Commissions are independent of both the League and its clubs.
The Judicial Panel is the pool; the Commission is the group selected from it for a specific case. The League says it moved to an entirely independent Judicial Panel in 2019. Its governance page identifies Sir Gary Hickinbottom as chair, appointed for a five-year term following club approval in February 2025. Premier League governance
How a club charge reaches a Commission
- The Board investigates. The Premier League Board has authority to investigate suspected or alleged breaches of the League’s Rules. A Commission referral is one possible response, not an automatic step for every allegation.
- The Board may issue a written complaint. If it believes there is a suspicion or allegation of a breach, it can refer the matter to a Commission through a written complaint.
- The Commission decides the complaint. In the process described for Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) matters, it determines whether there was a breach and, if so, what sanction should follow.
- The Commission determines any sanction. It has broad discretion. The League gives fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions as examples; that list is not exhaustive.
The Board investigates and chooses a procedural response; the Commission adjudicates the complaint referred to it. The League’s explanation of its PSR process describes the Commission’s role in deciding both breach and sanction.
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What independence means—and what is not established
The League describes the safeguard as structural: an independent chair appoints members to the Judicial Panel and selects members to sit on a Commission. That is the League’s account of the arrangements, not a complete explanation of how every aspect of a hearing is handled.
The League’s public summaries do not establish the evidentiary standard or burden of proof, disclosure requirements, witness arrangements, party rights to challenge a panel’s composition, or the full hearing sequence. Those details should not be assumed from the word “independent”; the current Premier League Handbook, particularly Section W, is the relevant reference for the rules applying to a proceeding.
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Private hearings, published awards and appeals
Proceedings under Section W take place in private and are confidential. The League says a Commission’s final award is published, so confidential hearings and published outcomes can coexist. The League’s October 2026 statement on Manchester City’s appeal illustrates the distinction: it said the Appeal Board hearing would remain private and confidential until publication of the outcome was permitted. That statement does not establish the merits or outcome of the appeal.
A party may appeal under Section W to a three-member Appeal Board appointed by the independent chair. One member who has held judicial office chairs it. The Appeal Board may allow or dismiss the appeal, or make another order, including varying the Commission’s order. It is a separate stage from the Commission’s original decision.
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The Premier League’s proceedings index lists published proceedings commenced under Sections W, X, Y and Z and directs readers to the Handbook for the governing details. Rule numbering and procedures can change, so the Handbook version applicable to the proceeding matters.
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