Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has hinted Manchester City could be handed a huge points deduction if they are found guilty in their Financial Fair Play case, while also discussing the delay in the verdict being announced.
Man City have been charged with 115 counts of breaking the Premier League’s financial rules, with the allegations dating from 2009 to 2018. The Premier League alleges that City have given false accounts of their sponsorship income and operating costs, while also failing to work with the investigation.
City deny all such claims and are confident they have ‘irrefutable evidence’ which will prove the league wrong.
The hearing took place between September and December and an announcement of the verdict was expected in March.
However, March has come and gone, leaving fans of both City and other top-flight clubs wondering when it will emerge.
During an appearance on The Overlap, Maguire revealed that only a handful of people know when the verdict is coming. He also suggested that the lawyers involved could be slowing the process down.
“I have spoken to some people high up and they reckon that only four or five people in the country know when the verdict’s out,” he said.
“When it does come out, I think the big fear is that you get the verdict as to whether they’re guilty or innocent, but you don’t get told what the punishment is.
“That will really set the cat among the pigeons.
“In terms of the actual date, Pep said it would be in March, well we’ve got to the end of March and no news.
“Also, you’ve got to think about the lawyers, they’re on the clock. If I’m on £3-5000 an hour I’m not going to hurry a decision.”
When asked if an announcement should arrive before the end of the season, Maguire continued: “There’s certainly a desire from the Premier League for it to come out. Otherwise, we’ve got a hangover in the summer in terms of where does this leave clubs.
“If it comes out in July, for example, and City are given a 40-50 point deduction, then one of Leicester or Ipswich will be saying, ‘Well if that had come out earlier, we would’ve avoided relegation’.”
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Huge points deduction could be coming
Paul Scholes then asked Maguire about the severity of the potential punishment and whether it is more likely to be points than a fine.
“It will be. There’s no point fining a billionaire owner a few quid. There’s no disincentive there to misbehave,” he added.
“Everton and [Nottingham] Forest, they were both minor breaches of the rules. What City are being accused of is corporate fraud over the period of nearly a decade.
“So if guilty, you’ve got to add a zero to the point deductions that we’ve seen for Forest and Everton. If not guilty, there’s going to be a lot of trouble.”
Everton had a 10-point deduction reduced to six on appeal in February 2024, while they received a further two-point deduction in May 2024 after breaking financial rules again.
Forest failed with an appeal against a four-point deduction last year.
As Maguire points out, given the severity of the claims levelled against City, they could face a monumental deduction of up to 50 points. This would completely alter both the race for Champions League qualification and the relegation battle.
However, City are standing firm and will do all they can to prove they are innocent and fight the Premier League off.
Man City FFP: Ornstein update; claim of ‘legal warfare’
Ornstein recently revealed that few journalists know exactly when City’s FFP verdict will be announced and that most of the reports going around are simply speculation.
Ornstein also hinted at an ‘anti-climax’ for rival fans where City only receive a small points deduction.
The i Paper claim City’s case could result in ‘legal warfare’ with numerous other clubs launching claims of their own.
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