Manchester City face the prospect of severe sporting sanctions that could see them relegated from the Premier League, according to a new report by the Daily Mail, amid the ongoing dispute surrounding the club’s financial breaches.
Journalist Oliver Holt revealed that sources familiar with the case consider a scenario combining financial and sporting penalties to be the most likely outcome, while the club maintains its appeal against the findings of the independent commission, with no final penalty officially announced as of yet.
According to details from the report relayed by TeamTalk, the most prominent possibility involves a massive points deduction sufficient to guarantee City’s relegation to the Championship, alongside a substantial financial fine, though the exact number of points and the fine’s value remain unspecified.
The scenario does not end at relegation alone; the report noted the potential imposition of a secondary points penalty for the following season, which could prevent the team from achieving immediate promotion and keep them in the second tier for at least another season. However, implementing such a sanction would require the English Football League (EFL) to enforce the penalty, which it is not automatically obligated to accept.
Conversely, sources ruled out the extreme scenario of expelling City from the Premier League entirely and sending them to League Two or below, deeming such a move capable of triggering unprecedented chaos across the Premier League and the lower divisions.
The case stems from charges referred by the league to an independent commission in February 2023, concerning alleged breaches committed between 2009 and 2018 related to financial reporting, revenue disclosures, and cooperation with investigations. Last September, the majority of the charges against the club were declared proven, making the determination of sanctions the next phase of the file.
City reject these findings and have announced a comprehensive appeal, reiterating their continued stance of innocence and maintaining that they hold evidence supporting their position. Consequently, the sanctions outlined in the report remain projections tied to the outcome of legal proceedings, rather than an active decision for relegation or points deduction.
Holt added that the Premier League is pushing to announce the penalty before the outcome of the appeal is delivered, which is unlikely to be concluded before the end of next January. This leaves the club facing additional months of uncertainty, despite their flawless domestic start under Enzo Maresca, securing seven wins from their opening seven fixtures.
