Manchester City will be punished with a significant points deduction that guarantees relegation, the Daily Mail reported in an exclusive. According to the same report, the club could face additional penalties in the form of further points deductions next season.
However, City will not be relegated to League Two, the fourth tier of English football, the exclusive stated. The final outcome of the proceedings and the exact sanctions are not yet known.
City has rejected the allegations and lodged an appeal. The Premier League charged the club in 2023 with 115 alleged breaches of financial rules between 2009 and 2018. The charges included misrepresentation of income and financial statements, irregularities linked to sponsorship deals, alleged concealment of actual player and coach wage costs, and breaches of financial sustainability rules.
According to reports from September 2026, an independent commission found that City was guilty of most of what was alleged against it. The club was taken over by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi in 2008, after which it invested huge sums in players, wages and infrastructure, becoming one of the biggest forces in European football.
City has won four English titles in the last six seasons, and lifted the Champions League trophy in 2023. It is the current leader of the Premier League with wins in all seven matches.
Alongside recent successes, the club has a rich trophy history: it won the FA Cup in 2011, the Premier League in 2012, 2014 and 2018, and the League Cup in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
