It came as no surprise to anyone who follows the Premier League when the story broke at the weekend that Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 charges from the 115 tabled against them by an independent commission relating to alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules between 2009 and 2018. City deny any wrongdoing and are expected to appeal but what does this mean for the Premier League clubs that lost out to city during that dominant spell and from a Gunners point of view, what does this mean for Arsenal? Well considering that the charges themselves relate to the time period between 2009 and 2018 where City won three titles, it seems highly unlikely that the Premier League would attempt to unravel any honours handed out in that period but the beneficiaries of any redistribution of titles would be, Manchester Utd (Runners up in 2011/2012), Liverpool (Runners up in 2013/2014) and Manchester Utd again in 2017/2018. Unfortunately for Arsenal fans if such an unlikely scenario did take place then there would be no retrospective league titles coming to the Emirates although the EFL cup would be handed to the Gunners for their runner up spot in 2017/2018. Many theories are circulating at the moment regarding how this could all pan out and according to the BBC sports writers and editors, Sami Mokbel, Dan Roan and Nizaar Kinsella, "Sanctions on the club are yet to be announced, but repercussions could include a points deduction, expulsion from the Premier League or a huge fine. BBC Sport has been told that the club will appeal".
Charges initially were brought by the Premier League back in February 2023 following a four-year investigation, and it has been 22 months since a hearing by an independent commission concluded. Manchester City Chairman Al Mubarak said via social media on Saturday afternoon: “While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed. We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our club, we will not give them that opportunity".
So, with much discussion already on the subject, lets address the possible repercussions in more detail.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City found guilty on virtually all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations. #MCFC expected to appeal against verdict issued by independent commission. Sanctions undecided, process ongoing @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/Muxqp4beK9
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) September 25, 2026
Points Reduction
This is a more severe penalty than what it looks as any possible reduction in points would surely be substantial and could push City towards relegation from the Premier League, their title aspirations would be vacated also and open the door for Arsenal to build on their success from last season and power ahead in their absence. To compare this with previous point reductions handed out to Everton and Nottingham Forest who suffered reductions for breaches of PSR would be useful but City's case is of a more grievous nature and therefore would carry more penalty. Everton were twice deducted points in the 2023/2024 season, in the first charge they were docked six points, a reduction from 10 points after an appeal. The second offence saw them being handed a two-point penalty. Similarly, Nottingham Forest lost four points that season again for breaches of PSR. The impact of the points reduction for both clubs in the league table that year was a 15th place finish for Everton with 40 points and 17th place on 32 points for Forest. For context, City won the league that year on 91 points and if for example they were to reach a similar points total this year but were handed a 50 point reduction (which sounds ludicrous but has been discussed on talk shows as being a suitable punishment), then they would have difficulty avoiding relegation with no European football qualification either. This would impact the club greatly in the short term but would have no lasting effect (if they avoided relegation) and you would expect them to bounce back almost immediately the following season.
Expulsion from the Premier League
This punishment would be the most damming for Manchester City and a demotion from the top flight could result in a downward spiral from loss of revenue from multiple sources, for example, TV revenue would drop from over £100 million in the Premiership to under £7 million in the Championship, sponsorship revenue would be greatly affected also with the City brand suffering from absence from the top flight and from the lucrative Champions League tournament. Throw in the huge wage bill that they currently service in the Premier League also and the demotion in status would impact massively and leave City unable to afford or maintain if they dropped a division or two. Worrying times for the sky blues as their lawyers fight to avert any disastrous consequences heading their way in the next few months.
Huge fine
The third option which could be implemented would be fining the club for the breaches and this would be expected to be quite high regarding the number of offences on the table. It's a possibility that this sanction could be coupled with a transfer ban which would hamper the club's attempts to cover long term injuries or build a squad. At this stage it is purely speculation as to what the punishment will be and City will fight the decision through the courts although the net may widen with the news that clubs affected by City's dominant phase are considering their options regarding the potential for financial claims. The waters get even muddier when you add in clubs that were denied European places, lost out on prize money from cups etc and even clubs that were relegated could argue that City were a factor in them dropping out of the Premier League. Whatever may happen in the coming months, the situation the club find themselves in will no doubt fill many column inches and dominate sports shows for the foreseeable future.
Club Statement
Manchester City released a statement on Friday saying that "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.
The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence".
