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Man City 115 charges and points deduction reality as Liverpool Premier League title hope explained
keifer macdonald
Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium
Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium -Credit:MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Pressure is growing on the Premier League to hold a hearing on the 115 charges levelled at Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side are on the verge of winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title after they moved above Arsenal following a 2-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night.
However, City’s unprecedented recent success in the Premier League comes against the backdrop of some pretty hefty charges that were levelled at the Etihad outfit back in February 2023.
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They stand accused of flouting the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules 115 times between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons.
However, after the Premier League formally charged Manchester City last February, the club said it was “surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches” and that it possesses “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position”.
Yet despite the brilliance of players like Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland putting City on the brink of a sixth title in seven seasons under Guardiola, City’s achievements are understandably being shadowed by a grey cloud brought on by the sweeping list of charges made by the Premier League.
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Back in April, Premier League CEO Richard Masters revealed that a date has been set for an independent panel to hear City’s case. However, when pressed for more details, Masters replied: “We can’t comment on the case, the date is set. The case will resolve itself at some point in the near future.”
Now, though, pressure has grown on Masters and the Premier League to come to a resolution soon after both Nottingham Forest and Everton were swiftly hit with points deductions this season as a result of breaking the Premier League’s PSR rules.
“I can [understand frustration from supporters about the length of time over the probe]. I can but they are very different charges, that’s all I’d say,” said Masters earlier this year. “If any club, whether they’re the current champions or otherwise, had been found in breach of spending rules for year 2023 they would be in exactly the same position as Everton or Nottingham Forest.”
If City are to be found guilty of breaching any of the Financial Fair Play rules during a period in which they won four Premier League titles – including in 2014 at Liverpool’s expense – it is impossible to say what action could be taken against the club.
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However, it has been reported that any punishment is unlikely to be backdated and as a result, Liverpool would not be awarded the 2013-14 Premier League title.
Though a points deduction and/or relegation from the Premier League could be a “very real” scenario, according to Martyn Ziegler, who wrote in The Times last November: “Given the sanction handed out to Everton, the threat of a 30-point deduction or automatic relegation from the Premier League would look to be very real for both City and Chelsea should charges be proved in an independent regulatory commission.”
Of course, it goes without saying that there is little case law to be considered when it comes to Manchester City’s trial given the nature of the charges.
European football has previously shown that it is not scared of making an example of its most successful clubs, with Serie A throwing the book at Juventus, after they were alleged to be involved in the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal that rocked Italian football in the early 2000s.
As punishment for their alleged wrongdoings, Juventus were stripped of the 2005/06 Serie A title, which was later awarded to runners-up Inter Milan. The Bianconeri were also relegated to Serie B and made to start life in the second tier with a 30-point deduction, later reduced to nine after a successful appeal.
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