An independent Commission has found Manchester City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period - so what sanctions should they now face?
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 05: A general view outside the stadium during the Premier League 2026/27 match between Manchester City and Coventry City at Etihad Stadium on September 05, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
General view of the Etihad Stadium, home of Manchester City, who have been found guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules between 2009-10 and 2017-18(Image: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
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Manchester City have found themselves at the centre of the biggest story in world football.
Bombshell reports on Friday revealed the eight-time Premier League champions had been found guilty by an independent panel on all but one of the 115 charges, which related to alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018. The news sent shockwaves through the sport and plunged English football into a crisis.
And on Monday the Premier League confirmed that an independent Commission has found City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the top flight's financial rules over a nine-season period - and the majority of charges in relation to the club's failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
The Etihad Stadium outfit responded with a statement of their own, confirming they will "now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe."
But based on the ruling, the question now is, what punishment should City face?
ECHO columnist John Aldridge has already called for the Manchester club to be relegated and stripped of their titles, but now a collection of the ECHO's writers from both our Everton and Liverpool coverage have had their say.
Joe Thomas - Everton FC correspondent
This might not be the most sophisticated idea but Manchester City should be relegated to League Two.
Hear me out. Any punishment has to be forward-thinking. Stripping the club of titles is a debate to be had but would largely be a symbolic gesture. Given the scale, scope and length of the timeframe of these charges, City would require a sanction that hits the club over multiple years.
I also think the best way to try and redress some of the competitive unfairness this conduct is said to have created is to do something that benefits the entire football pyramid.
Should the EFL agree, and they would be mad not to, placing City in the fourth tier means the punishment would be serious and prolonged. It is also means it will help football at a time when many clubs are struggling.
The presumption would be that City would rise back to the Premier League over three seasons and that would be fine. Their absence from the top flight would allow those clubs most directly impacted to compete at the top - I doubt we would see the title rotate beyond the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, maybe Manchester United and Chelsea if either could get their act together, but new opportunities would be presented to teams to get into the Champions League other European competitions, with the fun, prestige and economic boost that brings.
Meanwhile, as City rise through the leagues almost every Football League club would benefit - almost every club would get the opportunity for a bumper crowd when City visit and the chance to watch their side at the Etihad, while they could all benefit from enhanced broadcast deals as City’s progress is followed around the world.
Having City in the early rounds of the FA Cup and Carabao Cup would also provide new opportunities for clubs, including in non-league in the case of the FA Cup.
There are additional layers to this. By depriving City of top-flight football for three years their stars would face a serious decision over whether or not to stay. Some might, but spending a season in the Championship leaves the option open for City to retain the core of their squad and the status quo to resume after, probably, one campaign. Making this a three-year, at minimum, odyssey would see players facing the prospect of losing some of the best years of their career, and a World Cup cycle, to the lower leagues. The talent drain could level the playing field a little but even though the club would still swoop up the best players for each level, building another silverware-addicted behemoth would be harder once they returned to the top flight.
Additionally, City would have to abide by the financial rules through their rise, meaning by the time they did return to the Premier League those clubs that had been sensible in City’s absence should have built up enough of an advantage to not all be immediately overhauled. City would have to take the patient route to rebuilding in line with their revenues. That could take a couple of years. Given the core of the allegations against City cover a nine-year period, from 2009 to 2018, that, to me, would be fitting.
Theo Squires - Liverpool FC writer
Manchester City might have been found guilty of 114 charges, but don't expect them to be sanctioned anytime soon. This has already dragged on for eight years, after all.
City will appeal the verdict, and probably any punishment they are initially handed too.
It is easy to claim they should be stripped of titles. But where do you draw the line? Clubs like Liverpool would benefit from extra trophies from the period 2009-2018.
But City cheating has seen them qualify for the Champions League and Europe countless times at others' expense - including Everton. Had the Blues had a number of years in Europe and been able to build on such participation, would they have been in a healthier state when their own finances came under scrutiny?
And what of the sides that finished 18th and were relegated each year? Had City been penalised in each season, would some of these sides have stayed up? And let's not forget every Premier League position is worth prize money, so every competing team has lost out over the years.
Then there is the knock-on. Pep Guardiola's side deserved every trophy they won post-2018. But are City in a position to build that squad and bring in Guardiola if not for the sketchy foundations?
The book has to be thrown at them. A big fine won't hurt them, but paying compensation to the various affected clubs would be a start. Then give them a transfer ban and ban them from the Champions League.
If we look at other clubs that have been sanctioned, they have been given minor points penalties for a couple of breaches. Would City really be deducted a comparable amount for all the charges and possibly even relegated? I'll believe it when I see it.
The Premier League won't want to rewrite sporting history. But sanctions should be put in place that severely impact City's future if they are to be handed a worthy punishment.
Richard Garnett - Host of the Blood Red podcast
I already had enough beef with the financial landscape of modern football before this judgment came to light on Friday, but this just tops the lot. English football has sold its soul to the highest bidder and, I'm sorry to say, there's no turning back. The future of Manchester City might be at the forefront of people's minds right now, but the integrity and reputation of the Premier League are severely damaged by this outcome.
I actually have plenty of sympathy for legacy Manchester City fans who have supported the club through thick and thin over the years and now see the glory years they yearned for diminished before their very eyes. Those who have committed financial wrongdoings have brought shame on the club and the Premier League.
If the punishment for these breaches is not brutal, we might as well all just pack it in and spend our time doing something else. City should be stripped of their titles and expelled from the Premier League, with the club restarting in whichever league and division will take them.
Fines and points deductions are a waste of time. But a redistribution of competition prize money certainly isn't. Whether the titles City are stripped of should be awarded to the respective runners-up is a matter for debate. At the moment, I don't have a strong enough view on it to tip either way. But what I do know is that this is a dark time for English football that leaves me seriously questioning what Premier League clubs are supposed to represent.