What punishments could Manchester City face after being found guilty of breaking Premier League rules? From points deductions to relegation - we explain what comes next.
It’s been three days since The Athletic first reported that Manchester City had been found guilty of almost all of the 115 charges levelled at them by the Premier League in relation to breaches of the top flight’s financial rules – and the outcome of the case remains unclear.
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Manchester City are expected to appeal the verdict, which was reached by an independent panel, and continue to maintain their innocence as they have done since charges were first brought in February 2023.
That means that the timeline for any sanctions to be determined and applied is uncertain, and the club’s punishment may not be announced until the appeals process is completed. But how might they be punished when the time comes?
Could Manchester City be relegated from the Premier League?
Enzo Maresca and his side face an anxious wait as the rest of the legal process unfoldsplaceholder image
Enzo Maresca and his side face an anxious wait as the rest of the legal process unfolds | Getty Images
Assuming that some or all of the 114 guilty verdicts are upheld upon appeal, the Premier League’s options for punishment are outlined in the league handbook, which lists the range of possible sanctions:
Reprimand
Unlimited fine
Points deduction
Suspension from the Premier League
Expulsion from the Premier League
The handbook further outlines that points deductions may be applied either in past seasons, the present season or future seasons, allowing the Premier League to modify the punishment according to the timeframe of the offence.
That means that while the Premier League cannot directly strip Manchester City of its titles – the club were crowned champions of England three times during the period to which the charges pertain – it can hand down points deductions for those season, effectively taking City’s titles away by default.
It’s not clear how, in practice, a suspension from the Premier League might work, and it seems to be an unlikely option for a punishment given that it would greatly complicate the league schedule and could compromise the integrity of the competition. It could, however, be used in concert with expulsion to bar City from the league for a number of years to come. No club has ever been suspended from the league before, so the details are theoretical.
It means that Manchester City’s most likely punishment would be a fine, a points deduction, expulsion from the Premier League, or some combination of the above.
What punishment are Manchester City likely to get?
Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (left) insists that Manchester City are innocent of all chargesplaceholder image
Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (left) insists that Manchester City are innocent of all charges | Getty Images
The sheer number of charges levelled against Manchester City means that there is no precedent for the kind of punishment that they might get – but we can make some educated guesses.
Of the 114 charges of which City have been found guilty, seven related to violations of the Premier League’s now defunct profit and sustainability up until the 2022/23 season. Teams have been handed points deductions for such breaches before, which strongly suggests that the punishment will extended beyond a simple fine.
During the 2023/24 season, for example, Everton were handed two separate deductions of 10 points (reduced to six on appeal) and two points for two breaches of the PSR. That suggests that a tariff of around four points per breach may be regarded as typical, suggesting a hefty points deduction could be in the offing.
Complicating the picture, however, is the fact that details of the independent panel’s verdict remain unreleased, meaning that we don’t have a clear idea of the extent to which Manchester City have been judged to have breached regulations. Any comparison to previous deductions handed down to sides like Everton and Nottingham Forest, as such, remains a matter of guesswork.
We have no precedent for how Manchester City may be punished for the many charges relating to failures to properly declare earnings from advertising, the amount spent on player wages and other outgoings, or for those related to failures to co-operate with the investigation.
It is highly likely that either a points deduction or expulsion from the Premier League will be among the punishments, but guessing the exact sanction with that spectrum is almost impossible given the scope of the apparent wrongdoing.
Some sources have suggested, however, that retroactive points deductions – and thus the loss of Premier League titles – is not a popular solution within the Premier League or among its members. That remains speculation for now, but the early signals suggest that any punishments handed down will focus on the present day.
Manchester City, meanwhile, are likely to appeal the judgement and could potentially appeal any punishments which are handed down to them at a later date. The club continues to strenuously deny wrongdoing, and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in a statement that “our confidence and intent in proving the club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began.”
There is still a long way to go until we know whether Manchester City will face punishment or how, and there is the further possibility of lawsuits from rival clubs who believe that they may have been materially affected by City’s violations of the league’s financial rules. This case has a long road ahead of it, and City are likely to fight tooth and claw along the way.
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