An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of 114 charges, including financial rule breaches, spanning from 2009 until 2018, although the club were cleared on one count relating to non-cooperation with the investigation. Sanctions are yet to be decided, and City maintain their innocence and intend to appeal. The verdict has rocked the footballing world, with City winning three Premier League titles during this period, and their on-field success causing countless knock-on effects for other clubs.
Alternate Premier League tables
Several figures, including former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, have called for City to be stripped of their titles, relegated, and heavily fined. Voiding City's results creates intriguing new-look Premier League tables that show how Newcastle were potentially wronged.
Newcastle stormed to the Championship title during the first season in question. Chris Hughton's side clocked up 102 points as they emphatically earned a return to the top-flight. In the Premier League, City's switch from fifth place to 20th sees Everton earn a European place, while Burnley are bumped up to 17th, escaping relegation. In their return to the top tier, Newcastle move up from 12th to 11th place. The campaign saw Alan Pardew replace Hughton in December, beginning the manager's four-year reign.
Pardew's near miss
Elsewhere, City's removal from third place sees Spurs climb into the Champions League places. At the bottom of the table, Blackpool would beat the drop, while Wolves fall into the bottom three after having the three points they picked up off of City scrubbed out. In Pardew's first full season, Newcastle would have finished in the top four without City's results impacting the league table. However, Chelsea winning the Champions League would still have prevented Newcastle from qualifying for Europe's top club cup competition, with that misfortune originally falling to fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. Manchester United would have topped the table in City's absence.
Relegation avoided in 2016
While Newcastle's league form slumped as they reached the Europa League quarter-finals, the Magpies would have been comfortably midtable in the alternate league standings. Rising three places, Pardew's side finish 13th. Meanwhile, Spurs would claim a Champions League spot, Liverpool would qualify for the Europa League, and FA Cup winners Wigan Athletic would also beat the drop. Manchester City being stripped of their second league title would also allow Newcastle to go up from 10th place to ninth. Liverpool would claim their first Premier League trophy, ending their wait for a league title six years before Jurgen Klopp led the club to glory. Norwich City, who Hughton managed for most of the campaign, survive relegation.
It was another mid-table finish for Newcastle, who are bumped up from 15th to 14th. John Carver replaced Pardew in December 2014. City's fall from second allows Spurs another Champions League campaign, while Swansea City qualify for Europe and relegated Hull City finish 17th. The most significant difference for Newcastle: the alternative table shows the club would have avoided relegation without City's results influencing the bottom three. Rafa Benitez replaced manager Steve McClaren in March 2016 and would have steered the team to safety. Consequently, Newcastle spent the 2016/17 season in the Championship, once again claiming the title. Benitez's side narrowly finished ahead of a Brighton team managed by Hughton.
Newcastle impact
In the Premier League, without Man City's results, Arsenal rise from fifth to third place to secure a Champions League spot, and Hull once again survive relegation. Returning to the top-flight, Benitez would see his Newcastle squad move up one place to ninth. Man City are stripped of a third league title, with Jose Mourinho's Man United taking top spot. Elsewhere, Everton qualify for Europe and Swansea remain a Premier League side.
The most significant consequence of Man City's results being voided for Newcastle would be that the club would have escaped relegation under Benitez in 2016. While the Magpies were able to rebuild in the Championship, Newcastle could have used Benitez's early success to help propel them further up the Premier League table instead. The eye-catching 2011/12 squad also notably missed out on a top-four spot. However, voiding City's results would not have hugely altered Newcastle's fortunes without Bayern Munich also overcoming Chelsea in the Champions League final.
