Man City Charges: What Penalties Could City Face?

Man City Charges: What Penalties Could City Face? – The Three Points News Summary:

• An independent commission found Manchester City guilty on 114 of the 115 Premier League charges, with the findings published on 29 September 2026.
• City deny wrongdoing and lodged an appeal on 1 October.
• No sanction has been decided yet, with the options ranging from a fine to a points deduction or expulsion.

Manchester City have been found guilty on 114 of the 115 Premier League charges brought against them, and the big question now is what punishment follows. City deny wrongdoing and have appealed, while the sanction is still to be decided.

For the latest on the appeal, the sanctions hearing and the EPL odds, here's where it all stands.

What Are the Man City Charges?

City were charged in February 2023 with breaching the Premier League's financial rules across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18.

On 29 September 2026, the league published a redacted version of the independent commission's findings. 

The commission found City guilty on 114 of the 115 charges, with the one charge not upheld relating to a specific failure to cooperate with the league's investigation.

According to the Premier League, the commission found City used arrangements with commercial partners to disguise more than £830m in funding from the club's owners, Abu Dhabi United Group, as sponsorship revenue.

City deny wrongdoing. In a statement, the club said it was "disappointed and surprised" by the commission's opinion and that "a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions".

Where Does City's Appeal Stand?

City lodged their appeal on Thursday 1 October, saying the commission's opinion contains "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact".

New Premier League rules introduced this season require an appeal to be heard within 12 weeks of being lodged, with the hearing capped at five days and a decision due within 30 days of it ending.

What Penalties Could City Face?

Separately from the appeal, the commission will hold a further hearing to decide City's sanction.

Under Premier League rules, the options range from a fine to a points deduction and, at the most serious end, expulsion from the competition. City can also appeal any sanction that is handed down.

City won three Premier League titles during the period covered by the findings. The rules also give the commission a broad power to make other orders as it sees fit, which in theory leaves the door open to titles being stripped.

What Have Experts Suggested?

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has suggested that, based on past cases, he would expect a deduction somewhere in the region of 50 to 60 points if the findings stand after appeal. 

He added that a deduction of more than 70 points would effectively mean relegation, and suggested City could also face £50m to £60m in legal costs on top of a substantial fine.

Former City chairman David Bernstein has said the club should be expelled from the Premier League if the appeal fails, arguing the punishment can't be financial alone.

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has argued that fines and points matter less than two other questions: whether City's owners can satisfy the league's owners' and directors' test, and whether the club's achievements from the period should stand.

These are opinions only. The commission is yet to decide on a sanction, and City deny wrongdoing and have appealed.

What Happened to Everton and Forest?

The most recent Premier League points deductions came in 2023-24, for breaches of profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

Everton were docked 10 points in November 2023, a penalty reduced to six on appeal in February 2024. 

A second breach cost them a further two points in April 2024, taking their total deduction for the season to eight.

Nottingham Forest were docked four points in March 2024.

Chelsea were fined £10m by the FA in July 2026 and handed a suspended two-window transfer ban after admitting 74 breaches of agent and third-party rules dating back to the Abramovich era.

Those cases involved far narrower breaches than the findings against City, which is why the comparisons only go so far.

What It Means for the Title Race

On the pitch, City have been flawless. Enzo Maresca's side have won all six Premier League games this season and sit top on 18 points after a 3-0 win over 10-man Liverpool at Anfield on 11 October, with Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki on the scoresheet.

Until the sanction and the appeal are settled, there's an open question over how those results will ultimately count, and that uncertainty hangs over the outright markets.

What's Next?

No date for the sanctions hearing had been announced at the time of writing, and with any sanction open to appeal, the case could still have a long way to run.

Keep an eye on all the latest Premier League outright markets at Sportsbet as City's appeal and sanctions hearing play out.

*Odds are subject to change.