Manchester City's 114 guilty charges could open the door for Liverpool to earn potentially three extra Premier League titles, amid a precedent from other European nations
Pep Guardiola got the better of Jurgen Klopp in two close Premier League title races
Pep Guardiola got the better of Jurgen Klopp in two close Premier League title races(Image: Getty Images)
The Premier League has found Manchester City guilty on 114 of 115 charges initially leveled against the club in 2023 for allegedly breaking the league's financial regulatory rules between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons.
City will likely appeal all charges and has previously denied any wrongdoing.
City's punishments are yet to be determined, and a range of possibilities — a large fine, relegation to the Championship, transfer bans, losing Premier League titles — all remain on the table. Liverpool could stand to gain silverware as a result of Manchester City's wrongdoings, as the Reds have finished second in the Premier League on three occasions since 2009.
More Liverpool titles, first for Gerrard
"When is our open top bus parade? 13/14," tweeted former Liverpool left-back Jon Flanagan after news of City's initial charges were leveled in 2023.
The Reds finished two points behind the Cityzens in 2013/14 after a late-season meltdown.
Steven Gerrard is perhaps the most mocked player in Premier League history for not winning a league title, even more so for his famous slip against Chelsea in 2014 that allowed Demba Ba to gallop into an open goal.
Steven Gerrard, after his famous slip vs Chelsea in 2014, could at long last become a Premier League winner
Steven Gerrard, after his famous slip vs Chelsea in 2014, could at long last become a Premier League winner(Image: Getty Images)
The 2013/14 title is the only one that falls during City's irregular financial period that Liverpool could inherit, though the Premier League could also strip the side of all titles after that interval.
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool teams have three of the 10 greatest single-season points tallies — 97 in 2018/19, 99 in 2019/2020, and 92 in 2021/22— in Premier League history with just a single league title to show for it.
City won ahead of Liverpool in both 2018/19 and 2021/22 by just a single point.
Would City lose league titles?
In 2023, reporter Miguel Delany of The Independent tweeted: "Figures involved don't seem to think any prospective punishments would be retrospective or 'looking backwards' (ie stripping titles) but this is all described as 'unprecedented.'"
There is no English equivalent for the Manchester City situation. Chelsea was hit with 74 charges by the FA in 2025 for illegal agent payments between 2009 and 2002 under former owner Roman Abramovich. The Blues were also dealt a year-long transfer ban in 2019 for non-compliant registration of youth players.
Looking abroad takes us to Juventus: the club was stripped of two Serie A titles and relegated to Serie B following the Calciopoli Scandal.
The 2004/05 Serie A title was not assigned to runner-up AC Milan (also involved in the scandal). The 2005/06 title was awarded to third-place finisher Inter Milan, a trophy the club claims.
After the 1992/93 season, French champion Marseille was relegated to Ligue 2 following a financial scandal. PSG, the second-place finishers, did not accept the league title.