Two years since the Premier League’s bombshell announcement to charge Manchester City with over 115 counts of alleged financial rule breaches a verdict now hangs in the balance. Whether this means relegation, the world waits to find out.
An outcome can only be settled by the independent commission that oversaw the tribunal in London between September and December 2024. Evidence is currently being reviewed by the three-man panel.
Though without a precedent set in the past for such serious, alleged wrongdoing, there is no actual suggestion to the punishments the reigning Premier League champions would face. Fines, transfer embargoes, stripped titles, even points deduction or removal from the English top-flight, all options have been laid on the table.
It was the word of football finance expert Kieran Maguire this week, stating his belief that a points deduction is the most feasible verdict – one that would effectively guarantee relegation.
“A points deduction would be the most likely outcome should the club be found guilty,” Maguire said, continuing: “As for the quantum of points deduction, if Everton were initially given a 10 points deduction for going around about £10-12 million over the limits in one particular season, I think, in order to set an example to the rest of football, it’s got to act as a deterrent.
“We’ll probably be looking at somewhere in the region of 60 to 100 points, which would effectively guarantee relegation out of the Premier League and into the lower tiers of football in the EFL.”
He also acknowledged the EFL accepting such a decision, adding: “There has been a suggestion that the EFL might refuse to accept Manchester City in terms of its competition, but looking at their rulebook, I don’t think that is feasible.”
Throughout the entire two-year period Man City have strongly denied all wrongdoing regarding this case, believing that the commission will exonerate them entirely.
As per David Ornstein ahead of their match against Liverpool on Sunday, the most the club in question believe they would receive is a fine.
Soon enough, at least before any appeal process likely follows any outcome, the world will find out how the panel sees things. What, though, do football.london writers think of the situation?
James Quinlan
Ultimately I agree with Maguire – if Man City are in fact guilty then the scale of the punishment must reflect that. Fines, transfer bans, stripped titles, they all serve a purpose but we would have a situation on our hands where a club has been successful over a nine-year period of rulebreaking and afterwards continued to be successful upon those foundations.
Allowing them to continue in the strong position they are in currently would just seem wrong and open the door for others to take the rules with a pinch of salt.
Everton got docked 10 points, reduced to six after appeal, for their single breach and Nottingham Forest were docked four for theirs. We’re talking about close to 130 alleged breaches here, some more serious than others and any number of which could yet be proven.
So, a points deduction needs to be brutal. On the surface it also seems to be the most just way of dealing relegation to a club as there’s no coming back from that, is there? It would take a miracle to escape the bottom three next year.
What is certain as this would certainly turn into a huge debacle if they would appeal such a punishment whilst continuing to play in the Premier League next season.
Matty Hewitt
It’s still so difficult to give an in formed opinion response regarding punishments, when so very little is known about the charges or the case itself. As Mr Maguire puts, the points deduction for Everton set a precedent regarding rule breaches but Man City’s case is an entirely different one at that.
As mentioned above, the 115 alleged breaches are over a nine-year period and such a case has never been heard of in the English game. Either way the fallout is set to be damning.
If City are found guilty then their punishment must reflect that. The game cannot afford to be brought into disrepute. Points deductions, the stripping of titles and relegation are all feasible punishments.
Kieran Horn
Man City and their rivals are much closer to finding out the final verdict from their legal trial against the Premier League and yet it is still not clear exactly what the punishment could potentially be.
As this is an unprecedented case, no one really knows how this could unfold once the outcome is learnt. Some examples certainly showcase that if City are found guilty, immediate relegation is on the cards given how many charges they are facing.
However, some of those are far more serious than others, so even if the club are found guilty of those alleged breaches, there is no guarantee a severe enough points deduction would be dished out.
Ultimately, a significant fine is perhaps most likely given the possible retrials and further cases that may follow if City are found guilty. It could really end up being a legal battle that spans over a few years which the Premier League will likely not want.
Isaac Seelochan
Awarding titles in retrospect would be a deeply unsatisfying outcome if Man City are found guilty. There would be little to no joy for any side who finished runners-up to City, particularly when most of those clubs fans have long accepted that they did not win.
Seeing your team celebrate as they raise a trophy is one of the most satisfying experiences for a football fan and that cannot be replicated over something that happened years ago.
If found guilty, I wouldn’t strip City of any title either as having null and void seasons when it comes to trophy winners wouldn’t sit right with me. Instead, a hefty points deduction which leads to multiple relegations and a spending cap for every season they are found to have breached would be more suitable in my view.
Many City fans will have seen their team play in League Two but limiting how much money they can spend would severely hamper them and see almost all of their stars leave. Naturally, the club’s fanbase would also diminish. The Premier League is the world’s best competition and many supporters have grown used to seeing them compete for top-flight glory. Without this, many will lose interest.
City strongly deny all 115 charges and will contest them. If they are found guilty, though, then the strongest punishment ever handed down to a club in English football must be dished out.
Matthew Abbott
If they are to be found guilty on all 100-plus charges – which is a big if – then the Calciopoli scandal seems the best reference regarding potential punishments. In that instance, the Italian Football Federation stripped Juventus of one previous title and were downgraded from first to last in the season that had just passed.
However, no team were assigned the revoked title, which I believe would be the best approach for the Premier League should City be found guilty. Relegating them to the Championship also appears inevitable, much like how Juve dropped to Serie B, and even a point deduction for their first season in the second tier could be considered.
