Manchester City face pending sanctions after guilty verdict; rivals seek tough penalties, reports say

An independent commission has found Manchester City guilty of breaching Premier League financial regulations over a period from 2009-10 to 2017-18. BBC Sport describes the finding as covering "all charges". ESPN gives the period as 2009 to 2018.

The case is subject to an appeals process. Sanctions have not yet been determined.

According to ESPN, City were found guilty on 114 breaches. ESPN reports that the breaches involved the inflation and misstatement of revenue by more than £900 million over nine years. According to BBC Sport, City have appealed and won eight major trophies during the period covered by the verdict. BBC Sport also reports that the Solicitors Regulation Authority is poised to examine the commission's findings for any suggestion of potential misconduct.

Compensation

According to ESPN, the commission did not include compensation for affected parties in its judgment. ESPN reports that in September 2024, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United instructed lawyers to tell City they reserved the right to seek compensation if City were found guilty. ESPN says clubs are likely to wait for a confirmed sanction before deciding whether, and how, to act. Arsenal declined to comment when contacted by ESPN.

ESPN notes that Liverpool finished one point behind City in 2018-19 and 2021-22.

Next match

City play Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday at 16:30 BST, according to BBC Sport. It reports this is City's first game since news of the verdict broke. Merseyside Police said it would have "an appropriate policing operation in place on the day". Sources at Liverpool told BBC Sport it is "business as usual", with no extra measures.

What is disputed

City maintain their innocence. ESPN describes their protestations as "vehement".

BBC Sport reports mixed views on titles. One senior club source said City should be stripped of their titles, with the honours left vacant. BBC Sport was previously told there was little appetite among clubs for this.

What each side says

• Manchester City: The club maintains its innocence and is appealing.
• Unnamed rival clubs, according to BBC Sport: Several want "retrospective punishments" and future sanctions if the appeal fails. At least four boardrooms consider a single points deduction leading to relegation insufficient. Executives called a one-season sanction a "bump in the road" and raised multi-season deductions and transfer bans. One source said it would be "bizarre, almost obtuse" if City could trade in the January window before sanctions apply. Another said a "tariff-based system" has "merit". Some clubs feel "in the dark" about timescales.

The reports do not name these clubs. They do not include a City response to these calls, or a timetable for the appeal or sanctions hearing.

Analysis

The outcome now depends on two open processes: City's appeal and the setting of sanctions. Neither has a public timetable in the reports reviewed by Vocemundi. If the verdict stands, the debate described by BBC Sport suggests pressure for penalties extending beyond one season. Compensation claims remain possible but undecided, according to ESPN. If the appeal succeeds, these discussions may lose relevance. The positions reported come from unnamed sources at clubs with competitive interests. Their views may not reflect a league-wide consensus, and the reports themselves show disagreement on whether titles should be removed.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.