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Manchester City's Etihad Stadium has been targeted by vandals following the club being found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial regulations.
The huge club badge outside the stadium was defaced with an offensive message, with the incident coming just days after an independent commission delivered its verdict on the club's long-running financial case.
Etihad Stadium defaced following Man City's guilty verdict
The vandalism comes amid growing attention surrounding Man City's financial case, with the club found guilty of almost all of the charges brought against them by the Premier League.
The independent commission found that City had breached financial rules over a nine-season period between 2009-10 and 2017-18.
It concluded that the club had used arrangements with commercial partners which artificially inflated revenues and reduced costs, with the commission finding that the schemes distorted the club's finances by more than £900m.
City were also found guilty of the majority of charges relating to their alleged failure to cooperate with the Premier League's investigation.
However, the club has strongly rejected the findings and confirmed that it intends to appeal. City described the commission's decision as containing “clear material errors” and insisted that it remains innocent of the accusations.
The club has until Friday 2nd October to exercise its right to appeal.
FGG says: Etihad Stadium vandalism does little to change Man City's situation
The defacing of the Etihad Stadium badge is another unwanted development for City following an already significant verdict.
Whatever the eventual outcome of the appeal and separate punishment process, vandalism is unlikely to do anything to improve the situation and is a reminder of the intense attention surrounding the case.
The focus now turns towards City's appeal and the eventual decision on any sporting sanction, with no punishment having yet been imposed.