Man City guilty on 114 charges — expert predicts huge points hit

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Manchester City have been found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules more than 100 times, and the question now turns to what punishment follows.

An independent panel has ruled on the long-running case covering the 2009/10 to 2017/18 seasons. According to The Athletic, City have been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges. The club are expected to appeal.

A City spokesperson told The Athletic: "The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC's position remains consistent with the club's statement of February 2023."

The statement continued: "The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair minded regulator, free from partisan influence."

What sanction could follow?

No decision has been made on punishment as of yet, with all possibilities said to remain on the table. Football finance specialist Kieran Maguire suggested earlier this year that a points deduction was a genuine possibility — and a severe one.

Speaking on The Overlap in February, Maguire said: "If we take a look at precedence, we have had Everton and Nottingham Forest with six and four-point deductions for a single offence covering a three-year period. The accusations against Manchester City cover a nine-year period, so it is far bigger."

He added: "The numbers involved, we are not certain about, but they are likely to be quite significant. I think you have to add a zero to what we've seen in terms of Forest and Everton, so somewhere between a 40 and 60-point deduction would be, on merit to be consistent with what we've seen with other decisions, would make a lot of logic."

Precedent suggests any deduction could be applied immediately. That is what happened to Nottingham Forest in March 2024 and to Everton in November 2023.

The Arsenal angle

The timing is significant at the top of the table. Enzo Maresca's side are currently first in the Premier League with five wins from five, while Arsenal sit second, three points behind.

There is also the historical dimension. City finished above Arsenal to win the title in 2022/23 and again in 2023/24, the latter decided on the final day of the season. Should City's expected appeal fail, questions will inevitably be raised over whether past titles are revisited or whether any sanction is applied purely in the present.

Mikel Arteta, who worked at Manchester City between 2016 and 2019, will face the media ahead of Arsenal's meeting with Leeds United on October 10. He has previously opted for a minimal response on the subject, preferring to let the process run its course.

With an appeal expected and the sanction stage still to come, the full consequences of the verdict are unlikely to be clear for some time.