Premier League
What punishment could Manchester City face after being found guilty of 114 financial breaches?
The punishment has yet to be decided and several possibilities remain on the table. An independent commission will now determine the sanction, although an appeal could extend the process.… Show More
The punishment has yet to be decided and several possibilities remain on the table. An independent commission will now determine the sanction, although an appeal could extend the process.
Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 of the 115 financial breaches brought against them by the Premier League, according to The Athletic, shifting the focus to what punishment the most successful English club of the past decade could now face.
The sanction will not be immediate. In the coming weeks, the independent commission overseeing the case will determine the appropriate punishment, after which both the Premier League and Manchester City will have the option to appeal if they disagree with the decision.
What punishment could Manchester City face?
There is a wide range of possibilities because Premier League rules do not establish a direct correlation between a particular financial breach and a predetermined punishment.
This is designed to prevent clubs from calculating whether breaking financial rules could be worthwhile in exchange for accepting a fine or a specific points deduction.
As a result, the independent commission will be responsible for determining what it considers an appropriate punishment for Manchester City.
Could Manchester City face a major points deduction?
There is a recent precedent, although it is unlikely to provide a straightforward formula for City's punishment.
Everton initially received a ten-point deduction for a single charge relating to the 2021-22 season. That punishment was later reduced to six points.
However, it is unlikely that the Everton case will be used to calculate Manchester City's sanction on a proportional basis.
That means simply multiplying Everton's punishment by the number of breaches attributed to City would not provide an accurate indication of what the commission will decide.
Could Manchester City be stripped of titles?
Another major question is whether Manchester City could potentially lose titles.
That possibility appears highly unlikely because it would mean rewriting almost a decade of Premier League history.
The period covered by the case runs from 2009 to 2018, during which City won three Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups.
Those three competitions are also organized by different governing bodies, adding another layer of difficulty to any potential decision involving trophies.
What happens after the punishment is announced?
Once the independent commission determines City's punishment, another stage of the process could begin.
Manchester City will appeal whatever sanction they receive. In that scenario, a three-member committee will be formed to decide whether the punishment should be upheld, reduced or removed.
The Premier League will also have the option to appeal if it believes the initial punishment is not appropriate.
City's previous UEFA case offers a different precedent
Manchester City went through another financial case in 2020.
On that occasion, UEFA fined the club €30 million and banned City from European competition for two years.
City appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which eventually reduced the punishment to a €10 million fine.
That route will not be available this time because the Premier League does not recognize CAS as the body responsible for deciding these types of cases.
What happens next in the Manchester City case
- An independent commission will determine Manchester City's punishment in the coming weeks.
- Premier League rules do not automatically match each breach with a specific sanction, meaning the size of the punishment cannot yet be determined.
- Manchester City can appeal the decision before a three-member committee, but cannot take the case to CAS as they did with UEFA.
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