Manchester City face long wait after panel finds 114 Premier League breaches
Manchester City may face sanctions ranging from fines and a points deduction to relegation after an independent panel found the club guilty of 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules on Friday, and the club is expected to appeal.
A soccer source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Friday's media reports that the independent panel found City guilty on all but one of the charges and told Reuters on Monday that the process was expected to "drag on."
Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak responded to reports of the ruling with an open letter to supporters, reiterating the club's denial of wrongdoing since the charges were announced in February 2023 and stating the club remains confident of proving its case. "The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began," he wrote on Saturday. The allegations cover nine seasons from 2009 to 2018 and followed a four-year investigation before charges were laid.
The appeals procedure would not go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport; if Manchester City appeals the guilty ruling a three-person board would hear the case. That limitation comes after CAS previously overturned the club's two-year Champions League ban imposed by UEFA for overstating sponsorship revenue between 2012 and 2016.
Given the scale and number of alleged breaches, enforcement and any appeals could take considerable time and may not conclude this season. It is possible the current Premier League campaign — in which City lead the table after five straight wins — could finish without an official verdict or punishments being announced, and any announced sanctions could be suspended pending appeals.
If the case is resolved before the end of the campaign, a substantial points deduction could drop City from title contention into a battle against relegation; the source warned a penalty might be large enough to make it practically impossible to avoid the drop. There is also precedent for harsher outcomes after major misconduct cases: Juventus were stripped of two Serie A titles and relegated to Serie B following a corruption case involving the manipulation of referee assignments two decades ago, with the 2004-05 season left without a champion and the 2005-06 title awarded to Inter Milan.
Other clubs may pursue legal claims seeking compensation for lost prize money and missed financial opportunities if City are judged to have gained a sporting advantage from the activities in question.
