Manchester City have been facing 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules for years. Following a protracted process, the Sky Blues have now apparently been found guilty in 114 of these cases.
This complex process is unlikely to have reached its final stage just yet. And yet, on Friday, The Athletic and the BBC, amongst others, reported that Manchester City had been found guilty in 114 of the 115 cases of breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.
Specific sanctions against the club, which has been the serial champion in recent years, are therefore still pending, particularly as it is expected that the Sky Blues will lodge an appeal. Generally speaking, according to the reports, the entire process has not yet been finalised, which is why an official announcement is still pending.
Man City maintains its innocence
The period in question primarily covers 2009 to 2018, when the newly wealthy top-flight club was already receiving substantial financial backing from Abu Dhabi. An independent commission has been investigating the matter for several years, during which time Man City has consistently maintained its innocence.
On the one hand, the Premier League has accused Pep Guardiola’s former club since 2023 of withholding important financial information from it. On the other hand, the case centres on payments to players and managers which, it is alleged, breached UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations and the Premier League’s own financial rules, which are designed to ensure profitability and sustainability.
The revocation of titles is on the cards
Should the convictions on these numerous charges stand, Manchester City face a range of penalties. Under Rule W.51 of the Premier League Handbook, a commission may impose a wide range of sanctions on any club found to have breached the rules. These may include fines and points deductions, or even exclusion from a competition.
Subsection W.51.7 even states that the Commission “may impose any combination of the aforementioned measures or any other penalty it deems appropriate”. This would theoretically even make it possible for Man City to have titles stripped retrospectively.
In any case, it is to be expected that the penalties will be proportionate to the severity and number of breaches of which the current Premier League leaders are ultimately found guilty.
