After first being accused of serious financial breaches by the Premier League in February 2023, followed by a 10-week hearing in September 2024, Manchester City are still awaiting a verdict in their 115-charge case. If they are found guilty, the implications for English football could be profound.
Despite investigations and legal proceedings concluding in December 2024, the outcome from the three-person Independent Commission panel has yet to be announced. It is understood that Pep Guardiola’s side could face a record-breaking points deduction, while Manchester United and Liverpool could add to their trophy cabinets if City are stripped of titles.
However, with league rules stating that relegation cannot be imposed as a direct punishment, the Premier League standings would still be significantly reshaped if the country’s most dominant recent force are sanctioned.
MixCollage-25-Mar-2025-09-48-AM-7183 Related
Every Premier League Winner if Man City Are Stripped of Titles - Arsenal Won't Get Any
Several teams could win belated league titles if Man City are found guilty over their 115 charges, but Mikel Arteta’s men still wouldn’t get a trophy.
What Will Happen if Man City Are Docked 60 Points
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola inside the stadium before playing Man Utd
Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert, has been a regular voice consulted for his view on the situation and, on a recent appearance on The Overlap, claimed that there are "probably about half a million pieces of evidence that were presented by both the prosecution and the defence".
He also stated that after 14 months of waiting, "we're probably into the final reaches of getting a decision" and predicted that City, who strenuously deny all charges, could likely have a maximum of 60 points deducted if they were found guilty, based on the deductions that both Everton and Nottingham Forest faced for periods much smaller.
“The Premier League cannot relegate Manchester City to League One or League Two because that is an EFL decision and Manchester City have not had any charges proven against them by the EFL," he stated.
"Therefore, it has to be a points deduction. If we take a look at precedence, we have had Everton and Nottingham Forest with six and four-point deductions for a single offence covering a three-year period. The accusations against Manchester City cover a nine-year period, so it is far bigger."
"I think you have to add a zero to what we’ve seen in terms of Forest and Everton, so somewhere between a 40 and 60-point deduction would be, on merit to be consistent with what we’ve seen with other decisions, would make a lot of logic."
On their current total of 56 points from 28 matches, an immediate points deduction of that scale would plunge Manchester City to minus four points and bottom of the table. The ripple effects would see Arsenal open up a 10-point lead at the top, with Aston Villa emerging as their nearest challengers. Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool would each move up a place, while Brentford and Bournemouth would be boosted in their hopes of European contention.
At the bottom, Wolves would rise from 20th but still sit only 14 points ahead of City. West Ham would climb out of the relegation zone and move 29 points clear of Guardiola’s side, leaving City needing to win all 11 remaining games - and rely on the Hammers taking no more than four points - to avoid the drop.
The Full List of Man City's 115 Charges
Sheikh Mansour and Khaldoon Al Mubarak
Man City have been charged with breaking Financial Fair Play rules 115 times over nine years. This dates back to 2009 and stretches to 2018, with the full list of charges detailed below:
Type of charge Number of breaches within the charge Time of trial Decision
Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 54 Autumn 2024 Summer 2025
Failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 14
Failure to comply with UEFA’s regulations, including UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations 5
Breaches of Premier League profitability and sustainability regulations from 2015/16 to and including 2017/18 7
Failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 - present 35
Man City have since appealed the charges, which has only made the process of getting to the bottom of everything that much more difficult. In an astonishing 165-page legal document, City argue they are the victims of discrimination, stating that rules that other Premier League teams have approved have been approved in an attempt to stifle City's success on the pitch.