A panel of experts was invited to share their views on various aspects of Manchester City’s 115 alleged breaches of financial regulations, including the possibility of the club being stripped of Premier League titles.
In February 2023, the Premier League accused Manchester City of violating financial fair play (FFP) rules across a span of nine years, from 2009 to 2018. The charges claim that City failed to submit accurate financial reports. The club, however, denies any wrongdoing and insists it has “irrefutable evidence” to prove its innocence.
A private hearing took place in December, but a verdict has yet to be delivered. The delay is attributed to the vast amount of evidence under review, with many expecting the process to take months.
Earlier this year, Rob Harris of Sky News interviewed leading football finance experts to gauge their opinions on the case’s potential outcomes. One of the key questions raised at the Business of Football summit in February was whether Manchester City could lose their Premier League titles.
Matt Hughes, formerly of The Times, suggested that there appears to be little interest in applying retroactive penalties. Simon Leaf, Head of Sport and a lawyer at Mishcon de Reya, noted that it’s still premature to draw conclusions. He pointed out that other clubs might argue they missed out on Champions League qualification bonuses or sponsorship incentives due to City’s actions.
Veteran journalist Martin Lipton expressed strong doubts about titles being revoked, arguing it could damage the Premier League’s historical credibility. He cited Sergio Aguero’s famous stoppage-time goal in 2012, saying, “If you take titles away, then that iconic moment never happened. You can’t rewrite history like that.” He concluded that stripping titles is highly unlikely.
In a press conference last October, Jose Mourinho reflected on potentially being retroactively awarded the 2017/18 title, as his Manchester United team finished second to City that season. Jokingly, he said, “Maybe we still have a chance to win that league if they deduct points from Man City. Then they owe me a bonus and my medal.”
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