City are waiting to discover what punishment they could face after reportedly being found guilty on almost all of the financial charges brought against them by the Premier League.
David Ornstein reported on Friday that an independent commission has found Man City guilty on all but one of the 115 charges.
No sanction has yet been decided. City are expected to appeal and have stressed that the process remains ongoing. The independent commission has considerable latitude over what happens next.
What sanctions could Man City face?
There is no automatic punishment attached to Friday’s reported verdict and no published formula under which a certain number of guilty findings produces a set points deduction.
The Premier League says independent commissions have a range of sanctions available to them, including fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions.
Its own explanation of how the Premier League operates also states that punishment for a serious breach can range from fines and points deductions to, in extreme cases, expulsion from the competition.
That means a sporting sanction is possible, but claims that City will automatically lose 50, 80 or 100 points remain speculation unless and until the commission announces its decision.
Everton and Nottingham Forest have previously received points deductions for breaches of the Profitability and Sustainability Rules, but those cases aren’t directly comparable with City’s.
The allegations against City cover different rules, a much longer period and a substantially larger number of alleged breaches.
Could Man City be relegated?
There are two different ways in which City’s Premier League status could theoretically be affected. A sufficiently large points deduction could leave the club in a relegation position through the league table.
Separately, expulsion from the Premier League is identified by the league itself as a possible punishment for serious breaches in extreme circumstances. The Premier League says expulsion through this process has never happened in the competition’s history.
None of that means either outcome will happen to City. No sanction has yet been announced.
Could Man City be stripped of Premier League titles?
City won several Premier League titles during the period covered by the charges, so the question of their previous honours will inevitably be raised following Friday’s report. There is currently no announcement that any of City’s previous titles will be removed.
More importantly, the Premier League’s published explanations of the disciplinary process specifically refer to fines, points deductions, expulsion and other sporting sanctions, but do not set out retrospective title-stripping as an automatic consequence of a guilty verdict.
It would therefore be wrong at this stage to report that City are set to lose any of their previous championships.
Can Man City appeal?
Yes.
The Premier League’s explanation of independent commissions and Appeal Boards confirms that a party can challenge a commission decision under the relevant section of its rules. Premier League
The Appeal Board is independently appointed and has wide discretion. It can allow or dismiss an appeal and can also vary the commission’s order. City are expected to appeal Friday’s reported verdict.
The club responded by saying the Premier League process “remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality.”
City have consistently denied wrongdoing and said when the charges were announced in February 2023 that they had a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” supporting their position. No punishment has yet been announced, and the expected appeal means the case still has further to run.
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