With an independent commission finding Manchester City guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the English Premier League (EPL)’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation, there is serious trouble looming at the Etihad Stadium.
READ: Manchester braces for a fiery new-era showdown
According to the Premier League website, the independent commission found that between the seasons 2009/10 and 2017/18, Manchester City arranged ‘sham’ contracts (which misrepresented the true agreement between the parties) with a number of its commercial partners, as well as relying on ‘sham’ agreements with others, to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce its costs.
- The club filed misstated accounts and concealed the true state of its finances from its auditors and football regulators
- Manchester City was significantly in breach of both the Premier League’s and UEFA’s spending limits
- During the Premier League’s investigation, Manchester City committed multiple breaches of its duties of co-operation and utmost good faith towards the league (three of the four alleged breaches were upheld).
Potential sanctions and punishments:
Expulsion or relegation: Given that the scale of the deceit is being called the biggest scandal in Premier League history, complete expulsion from the Premier League or a forced demotion to the lower divisions is a very real possibility.
Massive points deduction: The club could face a points penalty so severe that it effectively forces relegation or eliminates them from European competition. This could be applied to the current 2026–27 season or applied retrospectively.
Stripping of titles: Prominent football pundits and rivals are calling for City to be stripped of the silverware they won during the affected period, which includes three Premier League titles, three League Cups, and an FA Cup.
Transfer bans and unprecedented fines: The commission has the power to issue severe, multi-window transfer bans along with massive, historic financial penalties.
Financial compensation to other clubs: Multiple rival Premier League clubs are already seeking legal advice to sue City for hundreds of millions in damages, seeking compensation for missed European revenue and lost prize money during the years City broke the rules.
READ: Becoming and being Pep Guardiola: Meditations on loving, leading and leaving
These are the other football clubs demoted or administratively relegated due to scandals, corruption, financial rule-breaking, or legal violations include:
Parma FC (2015): Demoted down to Serie D following bankruptcy and unresolved wage dispute issues.
Glasgow Rangers (2012): Demoted to the Scottish Third Division after going into administration and liquidation due to severe financial mismanagement.
Boavista FC (2008): Relegated from Portugal’s Primeira Liga for involvement in a match-fixing and referee-coercion scandal during the 2003-04 season.
Leeds United (2007): Reckless overspending in the early 2000s to chase Champions League glory left the club with massive debt. Entering administration in 2007 triggered an automatic 10-point deduction, sealing their drop to League One. The club had to sell key assets and Elland Road (which it later bought back), spending years rebuilding out of the English lower leagues.
Juventus (2006): The 2006 Calciopoli match-fixing scandal, though later years it involved separate financial accounting scrutiny. They were stripped of two Serie A titles and forcibly demoted to Serie B with a points penalty.
Fiorentina (2002): Relegated from Serie A after suffering extreme financial collapse and bankruptcy.
Middlesbrough FC (1997): Deducted three points for postponing a fixture due to a severe virus outbreak among players, which ultimately proved decisive in their Premier League relegation.
Olympique de Marseille (1994): Relegated from the French Division 1 to the second tier following a major bribery and match-fixing scandal involving Valenciennes.
- An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of serious breaches of the English Premier League's financial rules over nine seasons (2009/10 to 2017/18) and failure to cooperate with the League's investigation.
- Manchester City arranged sham contracts with commercial partners to artificially inflate revenue and reduce costs, filed misstated accounts, and concealed finances from auditors and regulators.
- The club was significantly in breach of Premier League and UEFA spending limits and committed multiple breaches of cooperation duties during the investigation.
- Potential sanctions include expulsion or relegation, massive points deductions, stripping of titles won during the affected period, transfer bans, fines, and financial compensation to rival clubs.
- Other clubs previously demoted or penalized for scandals include Parma FC, Glasgow Rangers, Juventus, Leeds United, and Olympique de Marseille, among others.
