Manchester City fans fear relegation and trophy losses after financial charges upheld
Manchester City supporters reacted with alarm on 25 September 2026 after the club’s attempts to defeat more than 100 financial-fair-play charges were defeated and the author declared the club “bang to rights”, prompting fears of relegation and the stripping of trophies.
The chant “City’s going down with a billion in the bank” dates back to 2008, when Thaksin Shinawatra’s 15-month ownership ended after more than £1bn of his assets were frozen and Sheikh Mansour intervened; by December of that year the club were in the relegation zone. The author describes a long-standing culture of self-sabotage labelled “Cityitis” and notes that despite winning multiple trophies fans continued to sing about decline. The financial-fair-play investigation began in 2018 and, the piece recalls, in 2023 it emerged there were more than 100 charges against the club.
Supporter songs cited include “Empty seats at home” and “Is This the Etihad?”, examples the writer uses to illustrate a fanbase that brags about its own failings. The article says the chanting intensified as the investigation progressed and that many fans now view the club’s position as deserved: “Despite attempts to legally filibuster the charges out of existence for the past three years, we’ve rightfully failed.”
When interviewed recently, Wayne Rooney suggested the club could be docked 60 points, a sanction the author says would make avoiding relegation virtually impossible. The piece raises the prospect that City could be required to forfeit the eight trophies won in the 2009-10 to 2017-18 period, including three Premier League titles and the 100-point season of 2017-18, and argues such a penalty would be disproportionate; it also notes Everton and Nottingham Forest have been docked points for lesser offences.
The article sets out specific allegations on the charge sheet: failing to provide accurate and up-to-date financial reports, concealing salary details and bonuses, inflating sponsorship revenues and failing to cooperate or supply requested documents during the investigation. It states the club used lawyers “to royally take the piss” during the process and records that City plan to appeal the ruling.
Looking at potential consequences, the writer says City “may lose trophies”, that “we will almost certainly get relegated” and that the club will “almost certainly lose our best players and say ha det bra to Erling Haaland, the great Nordic God of goalscoring”, while acknowledging Haaland might remain to see how many he could score in a Championship season. The article also mentions the club’s celebrated successful periods, including the domestic quadruple of 2018-19 and the treble that included the Champions League in 2022-23, adding that there was “barely a whiff of scandal in these years” and that those teams were managed by Pep Guardiola.
The writer suggests a relegated City could bring lower ticket prices, fuller stadia and a renewed appreciation for Wembley visits and trophies, and argues the club might be forced to “think imaginatively” rather than rely solely on spending. The piece notes Pep has already gone and concludes with a local anecdote about Shaun Goater leaving his job coaching Aston Villa Women this year, being 56 and “never relied entirely on pace”, with the author adding “I bet he’s a free agent.”
The only confirmed next step reported in the piece is that Manchester City intend to appeal the findings, leaving the club’s ultimate punishment, the fate of the contested trophies and the squad’s future unresolved.