Liverpool may have lost a sizeable amount in prize money because of Manchester City financial breaches, according to an analysis by BBC Sport published.
An independent Premier League commission found City guilty of all but one of the 115 charges against them, announced on 29 September. The charges relate to inflated sponsorship income of £830m, plus a further £90m in expenses.
City deny wrongdoing and lodged an appeal on 1 October. A separate hearing will decide any sanction, and none has been imposed.
BBC Sport used published prize money from the 2009 to 2018 seasons to estimate the impact on the 35 other clubs that played in the top flight.
It says the study is not a compensation claim and does not state that any club would definitely have achieved more.
Most of Liverpool’s estimated loss comes from the 2015-16 League Cup final. Jurgen Klopp’s side drew 1-1 with City at Wembley on 28 February 2016 and lost 3-1 on penalties.
The Europa League place linked to the trophy passed to the league and went to West Ham United. Liverpool finished eighth, which was not enough to qualify for Europe.
BBC Sport used Manchester United’s 2016-17 Europa League win as a comparison. United received £37.8m, including £26.6m from the market pool, which is based on the value of television rights.
The analysis says it cannot be certain Liverpool would have won the competition. It treats United as a club of similar stature and notes that the market pool share may have been slightly lower with both clubs involved.
In the Premier League, Liverpool finished below Manchester City in all nine seasons the analysis covers. Each league place carries a payment, and that payment rose from £755,881 in 2010-11 to £1.94m in 2016-17.
BBC Sport puts Liverpool’s place money at roughly £10.6m. Everton, Liverpool and Stoke City share the largest potential claim on this measure.
Added to the Europa League estimate, that gives Liverpool a total of £48.5m in BBC Sport’s written analysis.
Tottenham Hotspur top the BBC’s chart on £119.9m, followed by Hull City on £99m. Everton, Swansea City and Newcastle United complete the top five.
Liverpool rank sixth, ahead of Chelsea, Norwich City, Wigan Athletic and Arsenal. Unlike Tottenham, Chelsea, Everton, Arsenal and Manchester United, they did not miss out on Champions League football by a single place.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham reserved the right to seek compensation from City in 2024, according to reports. The independent commission’s judgment did not cover compensation for other clubs.
Under Premier League rules, an Appeal Board must hear City’s case within 12 weeks of the appeal being lodged. It then has 30 days from the end of the hearing to deliver its decision.
However, the BBC figures cover domestic prize money, European payments, relegation costs and cup final results. They exclude potential future earnings, such as sponsor bonuses and later prize money.
They also exclude any pay rises or bonuses players may have missed. The outcome of City’s appeal could still change the picture.
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