Manchester City are most likely to be handed a points deduction, according to prominent football finance expert Kieran Maguire. Liverpool and other Premier League rivals are carefully watching after City were found guilty of 114 charges related to Premier League financial rules.
Appeal set to follow landmark verdict
City are set to appeal the landmark decision and have vigorously argued for their innocence throughout the case. However, any sanction is set to arrive before the appeals process can finish.
Potential punishments range from fines to points deduction or even expulsion from the division. The charges stretch back to the 2009-10 campaign, during which period City have secured numerous major honours.
Title-stripping deemed unlikely
During that period, Liverpool and Manchester United finished as runners-up to the Citizens, while the Premier League leaders finished in the Champions League places in each of the seasons under investigation. It is possible City could be stripped of their titles, but it is deemed unlikely at this stage.
A football finance lecturer and co-host of the Price of Football podcast, Maguire believes a points penalty represents the most probable result. He told TalkTV: "There is no doubt a points deduction would be the most likely outcome in the view of many.
"We have seen them before for Nottingham Forest and Everton for breaches of the financial limit rules. So that is feasible."
Precedent from Everton and Forest
In 2023, Everton were stripped of 10 points - reduced to six on appeal - for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules. The Toffees received a further two-point deduction for a comparable violation in April 2024.
Also in 2024, Forest were deducted four points for breaching PSR regulations. The club were found to have exceeded their permitted £61 million loss threshold by £34.5m.
Maguire added: "If you take a look at the Premier League handbook, it says the recommendations are as broad-based as you want them to be. Anything from a fine to a points deduction, to expulsion from the league.
"Also, it could be that the titles won during that period will be taken away, though you can't retrospectively have the joy that winning a match and title brings from a fan's perspective."
Former chairman calls for swift resolution
Meanwhile, former City chairman David Bernstein believes "money is not sufficient" as a potential punishment for the club. Bernstein, who served as City chairman between 1998 and 2003, wants to see the matter resolved quickly.
He told Times Radio: "I felt absolutely awful, I felt in shock yesterday, actually. I think you've asked me on the programme because of my time as chair of City and the FA, but basically, I'm a fan of Manchester City and have been a fan for 70 years.
"It's really awful that this great period of success, which followed many years of being less successful, when I was chair, I think I helped get the club out of a very difficult period and started the road to better things.
"But to see all this tarnished in this way is very sad, I feel particularly bad for the wonderful supporters of the club who've stayed with the club through thick and thin. It's a pretty bad day I think for the fans in blue of Manchester."
