What could Manchester City face if charges are upheld?
Manchester City could face severe sporting sanctions if the reported verdict in the Premier League's 115-charge financial case is upheld.
Reports on Friday claimed an independent tribunal had found City guilty of all but one of the charges, although neither the Premier League nor the club has officially confirmed the outcome. The Premier League has said the process remains confidential, while City maintain their longstanding denial of the allegations.
The charges relate to alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018, including failing to provide accurate financial information, allegedly undisclosed payments to players and coaches, breaches of financial sustainability rules and failure to cooperate with the Premier League's investigation.
If the findings are formally confirmed and survive an appeal, the consequences could be significant for a club that has won eight Premier League titles and the Champions League since Abu Dhabi-backed ownership took over in 2008.
Points deduction or expulsion?
The Premier League has no fixed sanctions for financial-rule breaches, meaning the independent commission has wide discretion over the punishment.
Possible sanctions include a fine, a points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League.
The recent cases of Everton and Nottingham Forest provide some context, although their breaches were different and involved fewer charges. Everton were deducted six points and then a further two in the 2023/24 season for Profitability and Sustainability Rules breaches, while Forest were docked four points.
The only thing I know is that I know nothing. Time to breathe. Time to analyse. Time to learn.
The scale and nature of the allegations against City, however, mean there is no established formula for calculating a punishment.
A points deduction could have consequences beyond a single season, depending on its size and when it is imposed. The most severe possible outcome under the Premier League rules would be expulsion from the competition.
Former City chairman David Bernstein said that, if the club were ultimately found guilty after the appeal process, he expected the punishment to be "more drastic" than a financial penalty.
Could titles be affected?
The reported findings could also have ramifications for previous Premier League seasons.
City are alleged to have breached financial rules during a period in which they won the league three times. However, what would happen to those titles, if anything, would depend on the eventual findings and sanctions imposed by the relevant authorities.
Other Premier League clubs are also understood to be taking legal advice about possible compensation claims relating to the charges, adding another potential layer to the case.
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City are expected to appeal if the reported findings are formally confirmed, but the sanctions hearing could take months.
Under Premier League rules, either party has 14 days from the judgment to challenge a decision by the independent commission. The appeal would be heard by a new three-person Appeal Board, which has broad powers to uphold, vary or overturn the original decision.
The appeal process is separate from the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Unlike City's previous UEFA case, City cannot appeal this Premier League decision to CAS.
I have faith that the club, which I know very well, will be cleared, given the reassurance they gave us back then (2020) that they had done everything by the book.
That earlier UEFA case offers some context. In 2020, City were given a two-year European ban and a €30 million fine for financial fair-play breaches, but CAS overturned the ban five months later and reduced the fine to €10 million, finding that most of the alleged breaches were either not established or time-barred.
For now, the central question is not simply whether City face punishment, but how severe that punishment could be and whether it survives the appeal process.
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