MANCHESTER: Manchester City have been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial rules, according to The Athletic, but the punishment has yet to be decided and the club are expected to appeal.
The verdict arrives 1,329 days after City were charged in February 2023, and BBC Sport has been told it was sent to club executives under a non-disclosure agreement, while the Premier League has stayed publicly silent.
City have not confirmed the outcome, and a club spokesperson told The Athletic that “the Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed.”
The charges cover 2009 to 2018 and include inaccurate financial reporting, payments to players and coaches, and breaches of UEFA’s financial fair play rules and the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), all of which City have always denied. During that period, City won three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups.
Why the Punishment Could Still Be Months Away
Because City contested the charges, the sanction must now be set at a separate hearing before the independent panel, and BBC Sport has been told that hearing could be months away, with the result possibly withheld until any appeal is complete.
That differs sharply from Chelsea’s case earlier this year, when the club self-reported, admitted its breaches and negotiated a sanctioning agreement with the league. City could still seek a deal, though their years of denials make that unlikely.
Rule W.51 of the Premier League handbook gives the panel a wide range of options, from a reprimand and fines to points deductions and even expulsion from the league, although any sanction must be proportionate or it risks being overturned on appeal.
Recent cases hint at the scale involved. Everton were docked six points, reduced from 10 on appeal, and then two more in a separate case, while Nottingham Forest lost four, yet those were considered minor PSR breaches compared with the seven Premier League PSR charges City faced, plus five more tied to UEFA competitions.
What the Delay Means for the Title Race
City are top of the table after five straight wins under Enzo Maresca, and they could go six points clear when they visit Liverpool on October 11 after the international break.
If no sanction lands this season, both the title race and the relegation battle could be settled without it. A backdated penalty appears unlikely, which leaves open the uncomfortable possibility of a club being relegated when it would have survived had City’s punishment been applied in time.
Points deductions are normally applied immediately and remain subject to appeal. Clubs usually have 14 days to lodge one, but it remains unclear whether that clock has already started or only begins once the sanction is known.
Late decisions carry their own damage. West Bromwich Albion’s PSR deduction was not announced until April 24 last season, dragging them back into a Championship relegation fight when they believed they were safe.
City could still win on appeal, as they did in 2020 when a two-year UEFA ban was overturned, but this time they cannot take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Rival Clubs Line Up Compensation Claims
Even a final ruling may not end the saga, as rival clubs are seeking legal advice about compensation.
Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly preserved their right to claim two years ago, and a precedent already exists after Everton were ordered in June to pay Burnley £35 million over their own PSR breach, a ruling Everton are appealing.
Claims could extend beyond the title runners-up to clubs that missed out on Champions League places, European football or survival. Kieran Maguire, professor of football finance at the University of Liverpool, told BBC Sport that Champions League qualification alone was worth at least £30 million in prize money early in that period, rising to £60 million or £70 million by 2018.
Maguire added that clubs could also cite lost gate receipts and sponsor bonuses, though he called that highly unlikely, and noted that the league’s handbook does not reference a statute of limitations, which City could challenge.
