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MANCHESTER, UK: Manchester City face an uncertain future after the decorated English soccer club was found guilty of systematically breaking the Premier League\u2019s financial rules for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n
The verdict \u2014 delivered by an independent disciplinary commission \u2014 leaves open an array of sanctions, including a fine, points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League. City could also face possible compensation claims from rival teams.<\/p>\n
The club, which are owned by the Abu Dhabi\u2019s City Football Group, have rejected the verdict and promise a relentless campaign to clear their name.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at what\u2019s next in one of the biggest scandals in English soccer history:<\/p>\n
City promise \u2018relentless\u2019 challenge to the verdict<\/p>\n
Manchester City can appeal the verdict and have insisted they will.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Club are innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of their positions,\u201d Manchester City said in a statement. \u201cThe Club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.\u201d<\/p>\n
To make their appeal, City would need to send an email to the chair of the independent commission\u2019s three-person panel, who would then appoint a new appeal board \u2014 also consisting of three people, one of whom \u201cshall have held judicial office,\u201d according to the Premier League handbook.<\/p>\n
The board will then schedule a hearing that should finish within 12 weeks after the appeal is filed and not exceed five consecutive days.<\/p>\n
The sanctions will be decided later<\/p>\n
City\u2019s punishment will be addressed in a separate, confidential hearing with the independent commission.<\/p>\n
The Premier League statement didn\u2019t mention whether sanctions can be imposed before the decision of the appeal is reached, only that it was the league\u2019s intention that the process is concluded \u201cas soon as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Premier League, the independent commission could issue a reprimand, fine, suspension, points deduction or, in the worst case, expel the club from the competition. Clubs have been expelled from lower leagues in England but never from the Premier League.<\/p>\n
A club that are expelled from the Premier League could apply for membership in the English Football League, which runs the three divisions below the Premier League: the Championship, League One and League Two. The EFL\u2019s regulations say it \u201ccould be asked to accommodate any former Premier League Club(s) in League Two.\u201d<\/p>\n
The biggest points deduction handed to a Premier League team was 10 to Everton in 2023, for overspending in one three-year financial period. That deduction was later reduced to six after an appeal. City\u2019s breaches are much more widespread and included a refusal to cooperate, unlike Everton.<\/p>\n
An independent regulator could get involved<\/p>\n
Separately, the Independent Football Regulator \u2014 a body established by the British government last year to set governance standards in English soccer \u2014 could intervene in the City case.<\/p>\n
The new regulator is independent of English soccer authorities and has the power to remove club owners if they are found unsuitable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe independent commission\u2019s decision raises serious issues,\u201d IFR chairman David Kogan said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe IFR has powers to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives and we will use these powers where appropriate, in the interests of protecting the sustainability, honesty and integrity of English football where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Kogan said the IFR was awaiting further developments in the ongoing proceedings between City and the Premier League.<\/p>\n
Some have called for criminal charges<\/p>\n
The Manchester City case is a disciplinary proceeding, not a criminal investigation. However, some have suggested that British authorities also should look at matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf accounts have been falsified and auditors have been misled, then it is potentially a criminal matter,\u201d Lord Cruddas, a Conservative peer, told the BBC. \u201cThe auditors will call in the police, directors are personally liable for any fraud of a UK company even if it is foreign-owned.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Fraud Act of 2006, individuals can face up to 10 years in prison if they are found to have dishonestly made a false representation with the intention of making a gain or avoiding a loss.<\/p>\n
There have been no reports of any criminal investigation in the case.<\/p>\n
Rival teams could make claims for compensation<\/p>\n
No club has publicly announced their intention to make a compensation claim based on the impact of City\u2019s rule-breaking. However, the BBC has reported that a number of clubs had started seeking advice over whether they would have a case for financial compensation, before the verdict had been announced.<\/p>\n
A precedent was set this year when Everton was ordered to pay more than 35 million pounds ($47 million) in compensation to Burnley, which successfully argued to a disciplinary commission that they would have survived relegation \u2014 at Everton\u2019s expense \u2014 in the 2021-22 campaign had their rival been given their six-point penalty for the financial breaches that season.<\/p>\n
In City\u2019s case, top teams could argue they lost out on titles or Champions League qualification \u2014 worth tens of millions of dollars each season \u2014 because of City\u2019s conduct, and weaker teams could claim defeats to City\u2019s expensively assembled squads contributed to relegation or lower finishing positions in the league standings, and therefore reduced prize money.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n