The process is still ongoing and there is a lot to unpick as Leeds United and rivals digest the astonishing reports
If Man City are indeed ultimately found guilty of the 114 charges, the ramifications would be seismic
If Man City are indeed ultimately found guilty of the 114 charges, the ramifications would be seismic(Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
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If, and maybe when, Manchester City are handed a formal guilty verdict on 114 of 115 Premier League charges, that will not be the end of the process.
The Blues will appeal. And who knows how long that could take. Maybe months, maybe a year, maybe longer. This is not the end of the saga by any means. But we have reached the summit of the mountain.
Right now, Man City are insistent that the process remains ongoing. But it seems that Premier League whisperers are confident of the outcome, and how damning it will be. The ongoing process might well be merely the decision on sanctions.
Everything sanction remains on the table. Points deductions, heavy fines - even Premier League expulsion. All of this has yet to be decided and formally appealed.
But from a Leeds United point of view, and that of rivals, what would a guilty verdict mean? Simply, at this stage, it is too early to tell, and some of it could depend on what the sanctions are.
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It is unlikely that titles will be stripped. Sanctions tend to be forward-looking rather than retrospective. Tainted, yes. But stripped, that’s another matter. However, notably, sanctions could be applied while the appeal process is being carried out.
But as for any compensation for rivals, that could only be sought after the appeals process concludes - if a guilty verdict is overturned, then there is nothing to sue against. But if not?
It is important to note that Man City’s charges relate to the period between 2009 and 2018 - in which Leeds were not competing in the Premier League and only met the Blues once, in an FA Cup fixture in 2013.
So any impact on table earnings after that point - namely the seasons in which Leeds were in the top flight - becomes almost null. Almost.
Because there could be the argument that Man City have benefited from their illegitimate success during that period in later years.
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Premier League boss Richard Masters(Image: Getty Images)
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Thus, the motivation for Leeds would be the loss of earnings from not finishing a place higher in their recent Premier League seasons due to Man City’s alleged cheating. That is a thinner ledge to stand on, but hardly an illogical one.
Some may point to the legal action Leeds have launched against Leicester City, amid their EFL rule breaches during the ill-fated 2023/24 Championship season, and suggest this gives a hint of what Leeds could do.
But that is an entirely different case, not least in scale but also in regards to how directly their fortunes were impacted. With the Leicester situation, promotion was clearly on the line.
With Man City’s case, there is so much more to untangle, with still a long way to go before its conclusion. It would be both pointless and empty, therefore, to try and predict what Leeds would do.
So, of course, in theory, there would be scope for clubs to seek compensation for loss of earnings amid a breach of rules. But don’t expect that any time soon.
Not just because of the appeal process, but club owners would need to assess the intricacies of the case, which have been staunchly kept under wraps, and the verdict details. Right now, it is far too early to make any assertions.
Frankly, it seems like the whole football community has been taken aback by the reports that 114 of the 115 charges levelled are set to return a guilty verdict.
What happens with the big picture - expulsion or not, if sanctions fit the breaches, the appeals process - needs to be assessed first before anything is introspectively considered. So hold the horses.