Manchester City are facing calls to be stripped of three Premier League titles after being found guilty on 114 out of 115 financial rule breaches in their case with the Premier League. The outcome of their high-profile legal battle was revealed on Friday, sending shockwaves around the football world.
Guilty verdict and potential sanctions
Their punishment is yet to be decided, and City are widely expected to appeal the ruling, having consistently maintained their innocence throughout. They were charged following an investigation into alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018.
City were accused of failing to provide accurate financial information and details of payments to players and coaches, as well as breaching UEFA's financial fair play (FFP) regulations and the Premier League's own profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
Could titles be stripped?
If their appeal fails, a range of potential sanctions could be handed down. They could be fined, docked points or even kicked out of the Premier League altogether. It has also been suggested that City could be stripped of the three Premier League titles they won between 2009 and 2018, which may result in the trophy going to the second-placed teams.
That would see Manchester United retrospectively awarded two titles, having finished as runners-up in 2012 and 2018, while Liverpool could be handed the 2014 honour. Such a move would be among the most extreme punishments, but there is an argument that it would be justified as City may not have won those titles without breaking the rules.
However, others might say that rewriting football history wouldn't be particularly helpful as it would open a huge can of worms and cause the process to drag on longer than it already has done.
Likely outcomes and next steps
It has been reported by BBC Sport that the Premier League are not interested in stripping City of their domestic titles, with any punishment expected to be forward-thinking rather than retrospective. As a result, it seems a heavy points deduction, substantial fine or even relegation from the top flight would be more likely outcomes.
Any punishment will be put on hold until the appeal process is complete, with no timeframe on how long that could possibly take. Affected clubs have also been tipped to seek legal action against City if their guilty verdict is upheld, with several Premier League teams reported to have already sought advice over whether they would have a case for financial compensation.
