Manchester City faces an uncertain future after the decorated English soccer club was found guilty of systematically breaking the Premier League’s financial rules for nearly a decade.
The verdict — delivered by an independent disciplinary commission — leaves open an array of sanctions, including a fine, points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League. City could also face possible compensation claims from rival teams.
The club, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi-controlled City Football Group, has rejected the verdict and promises a relentless campaign to clear its name.
Here’s a look at what’s next in one of the biggest scandals in English soccer history:
Manchester City can appeal the verdict and has insisted it will.
“The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions,” Manchester City said in a statement. “The Club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.”
Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of Manchester City and Ferran Soriano, CEO of Manchester City during a Premier League match between Manchester City and Coventry City. The chairman released a statement earlier this week following rumors of the verdict. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
To make its appeal, City would need to send an email to the chair of the independent commission’s three-person panel, who would then appoint a new appeal board — also consisting of three people, one of whom “shall have held judicial office,” according to the Premier League handbook.
The board will then schedule a hearing that should finish within 12 weeks after the appeal is filed and not exceed five consecutive days.
City’s punishment will be addressed in a separate, confidential hearing with the independent commission.
The Premier League statement didn’t mention whether sanctions can be imposed before the decision of the appeal is reached, only that it was the league’s intention that the process is concluded “as soon as possible.”
According to the Premier League, the independent commission could issue a reprimand, fine, suspension, points deduction or, in the worst case, expel the club from the competition. Clubs have been expelled from lower leagues in England but never from the Premier League.
A club that is expelled from the Premier League could apply for membership in the English Football League, which runs the three divisions below the Premier League: the Championship, League One and League Two. The EFL’s regulations say it “could be asked to accommodate any former Premier League Club(s) in League Two.”
The biggest points deduction handed to a Premier League team was 10 to Everton in 2023, for overspending in one three-year financial period. That deduction was later reduced to six after an appeal. City’s breaches are much more widespread and included a refusal to cooperate, unlike Everton.
Separately, the Independent Football Regulator — a body established by the British government last year to set governance standards in English soccer — could intervene in the City case.
The new regulator is independent of English soccer authorities and has the power to remove club owners if they are found unsuitable.
“The independent commission’s decision raises serious issues,” IFR chairman David Kogan said on Wednesday.
Chair of the Independent Football Regulator David Kogan (right) is still sorting out the IFR’s potential role in the Manchester City sanctions. (Photo by Ben Whitley/PA Images via Getty Images)
