The Premier League is in for a long wait as Manchester City face the prospect of sanctions

Manchester City could face sanctions ranging from fines and point deductions to relegation after being found guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules, but the road to any enforcement remains long and the club is expected to appeal.

A football source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed media reports on Friday that an independent commission had found City guilty on all but one count of the charges and told Reuters on Monday that the trial was expected to “draw on”.

The mayor of the city, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, responded to the news guilty verdict with an open letter to fans saying the club, which has always denied wrongdoing since the allegations were announced in February 2023, remains confident it will prove its case.

“The Premier League process still has a long way to go and our confidence and intention to prove the club’s innocence is as strong as when it began,” he wrote on Saturday.

Should Manchester City appeal the guilty verdict by an independent tribunal, the case would be heard by a three-member board.

They cannot appeal to sport’s highest court, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which overturned City’s two-year Champions League ban imposed by European football’s UEFA for overstating sponsorship income between 2012 and 2016.

However, the appeals process may be a long one given the number of allegations, spanning nine seasons from 2009 to 2018, which required a four-year investigation before the allegations were announced.

LONG IN LIMBO

It is possible that the current Premier League season, in which City are leading the table after five consecutive wins, could end without an official verdict and punishments being published, leaving the world’s richest football league in limbo.

Even when the verdict and penalties are announced, the appeals process can delay the imposition of any penalties while the season continues or even ends.

But if the case is closed before the end of the campaign, a big points deduction could knock City from being title contenders to relegation battlers.

If the fees remain, the point deduction may even be large enough to make it virtually impossible to avoid the drop.

But there is also the possibility that City could face an even harsher punishment, as Juventus did after the refereeing corruption case that rocked Italian football two decades ago.

While many clubs faced heavy penalties including points deductions, Juve paid the biggest price following the ‘Calciopoli’ scandal as they were stripped of their two Serie A titles and relegated to Serie B.

The 2004–05 Serie A season no longer has a champion, while the 2005–06 title went to Inter Milan.

A similar reversal in the history of the Premier League championship could affect all clubs and the credibility of the competition itself.

There may also be legal challenges from other clubs, claiming lost financial rewards and missed financial opportunities, if City are deemed to have gained a sporting advantage from activities entrusted to them.

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