Man City points deduction verdict after Premier League charges ruling as Arsenal await decision
Man City were charged by the Premier League in 2023 with breaking Financial Fair Play rules over a nine-year period (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Manchester City could be given a hefty points deduction after the club were found guilty of breaching the Premier League's financial rules.
City breached the financial rules more than 100 times between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, an independent panel has found, after a lengthy investigation. According to The Athletic, Man City have been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges. The club are expected to appeal.
A City spokesperson told The Athletic: “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the club’s statement of February 2023.
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“The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”
No decision has been made as of yet regarding sanction, although "all possibilities remain on the table". Earlier this year, football finance specialist Kieran Maguire stated that a points deduction was a real possibility and could potentially be in the 40 to 60 point range.
Speaking on The Overlap in February, Maguire said: "If we take a look at precedence, we have had Everton and Nottingham Forest with six and four-point deductions for a single offence covering a three-year period. The accusations against Manchester City cover a nine-year period, so it is far bigger.
"The numbers involved, we are not certain about, but they are likely to be quite significant. I think you have to add a zero to what we've seen in terms of Forest and Everton, so somewhere between a 40 and 60-point deduction would be, on merit to be consistent with what we've seen with other decisions, would make a lot of logic.”
If City are handed a points deduction, it could come into effect immediately. This is what happened to Nottingham Forest in March 2024 and Everton in November 2023.
Enzo Maresca's side are currently top of the Premier League having won five out of their five games so far. Arsenal are second and three points behind City.
This is a day that fans of supporters all over the country have been waiting for, but from an Arsenal perspective, and certainly Liverpool, who have been the two clubs challenging Manchester City for titles over the last decade, there will be massive questions following a monumental story that has broken today.
City beat Arsenal to the title in 2022/23 and 2023/24, with the latter being lost on the final day of the Premier League season. Arsenal have been beaten in the final of the League Cup in 2018 and 2026.
There will be questions whether, should Man City’s expected appeal fail, clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool will be retrospectively awarded these ‘titles’ or whether the punishment will be specifically imposed in the present to impact their future, as opposed to the historical removal of their trophy wins.
Mikel Arteta, who worked at Manchester City between 2016 and 2019, will face the press ahead of the club’s clash with Leeds United on October 10. He will no doubt face questions from the media, but has previously chosen to adopt a position of little response and instead allowing the processes to play out.
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