A Premier League executive says Manchester City could face a 70 to 80-point deduction (Picture: Getty Images)
Manchester City could be deducted a mammoth 80 points if they are found guilty of 115 alleged Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches, according to a Premier League executive.
A highly-anticipated 10-week hearing is set to begin in September over the litany of charges levelled at City.
Pep Guardiola’s club are accused of breaking financial rules between 2009 and 2018, as well as failure to co-operate since then, and were charged by the Premier League in February 2023.
For the past 18 months, a gloomy cloud has been looming over the Etihad Stadium threatening to tarnish both City’s unprecedented domestic success and their Champions League achievements.
There are a multitude of potential punishments City could face if they are effectively found guilty of cheating, ranging from a financial penalty, right through to a severe points deduction and even relegation.
Ahead of the hearing, one Premier League club executive has now revealed what they believe to be a fair – albeit most extreme – sentence in the event of a guilty verdict.
They told The Athletic: ‘The collective view I’ve heard is that an appropriate sanction would have to be a points deduction so substantial – we are talking here between 70 and 80 points – that it guarantees City a season in the Championship.’
A hearing into Man City’s alleged 115 FFP breaches will begin in September with a verdict expected by early next year (Picture: Getty Images)
That’s the view of just one executive, however there is a growing consensus among others that only a points deduction would be considered an acceptable outcome.
One even suggested that City should be deducted points at the start of each of their next three seasons in order to severely hamper their chances of European qualification.
A third believes the book should be thrown at the club in the same way it was for English rugby union team Saracens when they breached financial rules in 2019.
The London-based rugby side, who were Premiership champions at the time, were deducted 35 points, relegated to the second division and fined £5.36million for failing to comply with salary cap rules.
Man City’s 115 alleged breaches explained
14 alleged breaches for failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009-10 to, and including, 2017-18.
5 alleged breaches for failure to comply with UEFA’s regulations, including UEFA’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.
7 alleged breaches of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations from 2015-16 to, and including, 2017-18.
35 alleged breaches for failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 to present.
There are also fears that a failure to convict and punish City would damage the sport’s integrity so badly that it would see the Premier League lose trust from clubs over its ability to run itself.
With the prospect of an independent regulator being introduced next year, several club executives have warned any incentives to follow the rules would be considerably diminished if the Premier League is unable to win the case.
City have strongly denied any wrongdoing throughout and Premier League club executives have no control over the outcome of the hearing.
A three-person panel – selected by barrister Murray Rosen KC who is the head of the Premier League’s independent judicial panel – will assess the charges.
But the case could drag on further, pending any legal delays or appeal processes, meaning it will likely take until next year to reach a final conclusion.
Members of the independent commission are expected to deliver their verdict at the start of 2025.
Last season, Everton and Nottingham Forest were deducted eight and four points respectively for breaching Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
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