Manchester City vs Sunderland
Manchester City vs Sunderland
It’s been a long time coming; however, the clock is now ticking considerably faster on what punishment Man City will face for their creative bookkeeping.
The whole of the Premier League is watching, as is the footballing world, with Everton and their own fans in particular having a vested interest. It is a can of worms that has been opened, and could remain so for quite some time.
Points deductions, relegation, fines, compensation – the list is endless.
Everton Benchmark for Man City Punishment
Looking at Man City Infringments
Everton were deducted eight points in total for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules by around £35m over two seasons, whilst City have been convicted of manipulating their figures by over £900m. As with Nottingham Forest’s breach, the Toffees at least tried not to break these rules, but were still punished accordingly.
For a deliberate offence, or as widely reported, 114 offences, the penalties could be significantly harsher.
Even on the conservative end of the spectrum, if City get the same punishment as Everton, eight points per year would hand them a 56-point deduction, leaving them needing 96 in total to avoid relegation in an average season.
They got 78 last season, and Enzo Maresca isn’t Pep Guardiola. City have also lost players like Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Kevin de Bruyne in recent years, they are far from the peak side that won the treble under Pep.
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Manchester City v Sunderland - Premier League 2026 27 Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, Sunderland Chairman and majority owner with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Manchester City Chairman in the stand before the Premier League 2026 27 match between Manchester City and Sunderland at Etihad Stadium on September 19, 2026 in Manchester, England.
IMAGO / APL
Everton Could Get Their Burnley Money Back
GIVEMESPORT journalist Ben Jacobs has explained that Everton might be used as a marker on more than one count: “With the PSR charges, Everton and Nottingham Forest inform us with a kind of algorithm for a potential points deduction. If City’s PSR breach, when things are recalculated, is equivalent, you would imagine the Premier League will put forward a similar points deduction. If it is more severe, they will want a higher number.
“And we could get to a scenario where City have so many points deducted that they are either almost or definitely relegated mathematically, subject to any appeal. There are lawyers who say City will have a route to the High Court, but there is also a very specific bar for different kinds of appeal.
“Clubs want this resolved. Manchester United and Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal have all pre-written to Manchester City to reserve their rights to potential damages, subject to the final outcome and any appeals. And this could be for missing out on Champions League football or silverware, and sources say it may be to the tune of £100million or more each.”
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How Much Everton Had to Payout
Everton paid Burnley £34m after being sued. Premier League clubs have already intimated that they have consulted their lawyers in the wake of City’s conviction. Jacobs claims that the Premier League might decide to consolidate one fund which every member club, past and present, could benefit from due to missing out on Champions League football, European football, or from being relegated.
When you look at what Everton had to pay, City really will have to dig deep, and that’s before European clubs consider action.
The Last Word
Everton didn’t cheat; they just didn’t have enough money from their revenue to pay the bills needed to survive in the Premier League. They weren’t spending beyond their means or signing players that they couldn’t afford either.
They sit 19th on the net spend table over the last five years with a profit of just over £3m and still got punished. A penny for David Moyes’ thoughts as he sits with one left-back and one striker in the smallest squad in the league.
Something simply isn’t fair.
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Featured Image Credit:
IMAGO / Sportimage