A football finance expert has provided insight into the delays and punishment Manchester City could face if found guilty of alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules, which they deny
Matthew Abbott, Josh Holland and Neil Docking
11:21, 06 Feb 2026Updated 11:24, 06 Feb 2026
OXFORD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 18: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City laughs prior to the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Oxford United and Manchester City at Kassam Stadium on December 18, 2019 in Oxford, England.
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Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are still awaited the verdict of the Premier League case against the club(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester City are unlikely to face automatic relegation down the football pyramid if found guilty of the 115 charges against them, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire.
The club's lengthy legal battle with the Premier League remains ongoing, despite an independent hearing having long concluded. City face accusations of violating financial regulations between 2009 and 2018, during which time they won three Premier League titles. While commonly described as 115 charges, there could be as many as 130 potential breaches.
City, who have always denied any wrongdoing, were first charged by the Premier League in February 2023. Yet three years later there is still no verdict, despite City themselves and rival clubs including Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, along with football fans around the world, all awaiting the outcome of the process.
Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, and club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, pose with the Premier League trophy
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Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, and club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, pose with the Premier League trophy(Image: Getty Images)
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An independent panel heard the cases from both sides from September 16 to December 6, 2024. There was initial talk of a verdict arriving as early as February 2025, though both sides would likely appeal any decision if there was an unfavourable outcome, reports the Mirror.
In December, City published their latest financial report, which recognised the continuing wait for the independent commission's decision. It stated: "On 6 February 2023, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4.
"In response to the charges, the club issued a public statement that it welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position. As at the date of publishing these financial statements, the independent commission is still in the process of reviewing the matter."
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire
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Football finance expert Kieran Maguire(Image: YouTube/The Overlap)
Conjecture surrounding potential punishments has been widespread since the allegations were first disclosed, with some suggesting City could face relegation as far as League Two or even the National League - if found guilty.
Nevertheless, Maguire reckons a substantial points deduction is the more probable outcome, given the differing regulations between the Premier League and English Football League.
He said: "If there are 115 charges against Man City, then Man City must put 115 defences, so that's going to involve 100s and 1000s pieces of evidence.
"If you take a look at the cases against [Nottingham] Forest and Everton, which were relatively narrow and effectively one charge from the Premier League, there were tens of thousands of pieces of evidence submitted by the Premier League and the clubs during that particular hearing.
Manchester City have always denied any wrongdoing
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Manchester City have always denied any wrongdoing
"Also, the charges against Man City are much more serious than those we saw, which resulted in points deductions for Everton and Forest. For City, it's effectively an allegation of fraud - the Premier League alleges it received money from the owner and disguised it as sponsorship income.
"That's a very serious offence. You have to have fairly overwhelming evidence of guilt because it's a very significant allegation, and it's taking a lot of time, as there are three people on the independent commission.
"They are not working together every day because they are incredibly successful in their own walks of life, so they don't have a lot of time - and might just be getting together just a few times a month because they've got existing work commitments. Therefore, it's a very slow process.
"I suspect that the Premier League is regretting making 115 charges; they could have chosen the ones they felt they had the strongest case for and, on the back of that, we would have had a verdict by now.
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Khalifa al-Mubarak, owner and vice-president of the UAE, Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and manager Pep Guardiola celebrate winning four Premier League titles in a row
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Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Khalifa al-Mubarak, owner and vice-president of the UAE, Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and manager Pep Guardiola celebrate winning four Premier League titles in a row(Image: UAE PRESIDENTIAL COURT/AFP via G)
"If you take a look at the verdicts in the hearings against Everton and Forest, the one thing that became very clear was that if a football club has been involved in activities that, as a result, have given them an advantage on the pitch - i.e from overspending or hiding costs - these were the cases that were proven by the commissions against those clubs.
"Now, the charges against Man City cover a nine-year period, rather than just a single PSR calculation. Therefore, they would have to be a significant multiple-point deduction, adding a zero or more, so 40-60 points. Could that be viable? Yes, it could. Could it be more? Absolutely.
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"But because the Premier League and the EFL are independent of one another, there's no way the Premier League can say they're going to relegate Man City to League Two because they've got no power over what happens in the EFL. From the EFL point of view, having Man City in the Championship would be a huge asset, with significant interest.
"I suspect that, because of the way the English football system is set up with the three governing bodies (the FA, the Premier League and the EFL), the Premier League cannot impose a punishment that the EFL must take on. So it has to be a points deduction - and if that results in relegation, then the EFL would be obliged to accept Man City into the Championship next season."