Possible Manchester City sanctions leave titles and league positions uncertain
An independent commission’s findings have prompted questions about past honours, but no penalty has been decided and Manchester City plans to appeal.
An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of serious breaches of Premier League financial rules covering 2009/10 to 2017/18. The club denies the breaches and says it will appeal. Sanctions are yet to be determined.
Sky Sports has outlined possible sporting consequences, including stripping titles and trophies or removing City’s league results. The club won three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups and one Community Shield during the period.
If titles were reassigned directly to runners-up, Manchester United would receive two and Liverpool one. Another option would be to leave the titles vacant; no approach has been confirmed.
Removing City’s league results could change other clubs’ points and final positions. In Sky Sports’ hypothetical calculation, Blackpool would be the only club across the nine seasons to avoid relegation, at Wolves’ expense.
European qualification could also be affected under some scenarios. Sky Sports says several clubs missed out on European competitions in seasons when City finished above them, but any changes to past qualification or honours remain hypothetical.
