Manchester City are still awaiting the outcome of 115 charges. (Image: Getty)
The Premier League could hint at the severity of Manchester City’s punishment if they are found guilty of 115 offences, after suggesting Chelsea received more preferential treatment due to Manchester City’s cooperation. The Blues were fined £10.75 million, with a suspension of first-team action and a nine-month restriction on signing academy players, for breaching the league’s financial regulations in relation to seven transfers.
Chelsea self-reported the issue following Clear Lake Capital and Todd Boley taking over the club from Roman Abramovich. The new owners, BlueCo, then revealed fraud, admitting that £47m had been paid to unregistered agents and third parties.
Transfers of Eden Hazard, Willian, Ramires and David Luiz were also investigated.
Announcing the Blues’ punishment, the Premier League said: “When considering the appropriate sanction, the Premier League Board noted that the club’s proactive self-reporting, admission of the breach and exceptional cooperation throughout the investigation acted as important mitigating factors.”
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The Premier League charges leveled against City include accusations that the Manchester outfit have breached rules requiring them to “co-operate and assist the Premier League with investigations, including providing documents and information to the Premier League in the utmost good faith” since December 2018.
The hearing into City’s alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations concluded in December 2024. After a 12-week tribunal, the independent commission has yet to publish its verdict.
Citi was charged with 115 financial regulatory violations over a nine-year period. The club has consistently denied all allegations throughout the legal process.
The charges include 54 charges of failing to provide accurate financial information between 2009-10 and 2017-18, as well as failing to provide accurate details of player and manager remuneration over the same period, suggesting the club did not have the same cooperation with Chelsea.
It has been suggested that City could face between 40 and 60 demerit points if found guilty of the most serious charges.
Manchester City were eliminated from the Champions League by Real Madrid this week. (Image: Getty)
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire said: “If you look at precedent, Everton and Nottingham Forest have given players six points and four penalty points for a single offense over three years.
“The allegations against Manchester City span nine years and are much larger in scale. I’m not sure of the number, but it’s probably quite large.
“So I think we have to add a zero to the result for Forest and Everton. So I think a deduction of somewhere between 40 and 60 points is logically in line with what we have seen from other decisions, based on merit. If they want to go further, we don’t know the severity of that.”
“The Forest and Everton case was purely about FFP (Financial Fair Play), which is why the charges against Manchester City are taking so long. Corporate fraud is a very serious charge.”
“The board will have to go. With this accusation proven, how can you be in a boardroom with other members of the Premier League and the Premier League itself, of which you are also a shareholder?”
“If you look at what happened with Juventus in Serie A, claims about player salaries were proven to be false and the board had to resign. I think there is integrity here if Manchester City are proven guilty, and that could mean a complete restructuring of the club.”
