Manchester City have been warned they could face a staggering points deduction—potentially as high as 100 points—if found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial regulations.
The long-running legal battle between City and the Premier League is nearing a decisive moment. Manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged the situation earlier this month, stating on February 7: “In one month, I think there will be a verdict and the sentence.”
An independent commission, which reviewed the charges between September and December last year, has the authority to impose severe punishments, including points deductions, relegation, or even stripping the club of past titles.
The precedent for points deductions has already been set in the league, with Everton and Nottingham Forest receiving eight- and four-point penalties, respectively, last season for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
Now, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has weighed in on the potential consequences for City. Speaking on the Tear Us Apart podcast, he stated:
“If found guilty, it has to be a points deduction. We are looking at a deduction somewhere in the region of 60 to 100 points.”
Beyond sporting penalties, Maguire also highlighted the potential fallout for City’s leadership:
“The other thing that would happen is that the board of directors at Manchester City would effectively be proven to have misrepresented the club’s financial position to the authorities. I don’t see how they can keep their jobs. We saw something similar with Juventus, where the entire board had to resign after financial mismanagement.”
The Juventus case serves as a cautionary tale. In November 2022, the club’s entire board, including president Andrea Agnelli and vice-president Pavel Nedved, resigned before Juventus received a 15-point deduction, later reduced to 10 points.
City’s current board includes chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, alongside Martin Edelman, Simon Pearce, John MacBeath, Alberto Galassi, and Abdulla Al Mazrouei. If guilty verdicts are delivered, they could face significant consequences alongside the club.
With the verdict expected soon, the football world awaits what could be one of the most significant rulings in Premier League history.
