Ex-PGMOL chief expects Man City to land points deduction after bombshell
Manchester City are braced for a points deduction after being found guilty in 114 of 115 charges made by the Premier League.
That is according to former head of PGMOL, Keith Hackett, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
The charges were issued over three years ago in February 2023, and are split into five different financial breaches over the course of nine seasons.
Man City have continued to maintain their innocence and are expected to appeal the verdict reached by an independent commission after a hearing that ended in December 2024.
All manner of potential punishments have been discussed, including the stripping of Premier League titles won off the back of the alleged financial breaches.
The Citizens enjoyed another summer of significant spending this year, parting ways with over £450million to bring in nine new players to support new manager Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola.
Man City appeal could be avoided via 'formal agreement'
Should an appeal fail, Man City are expected to be made an example of by the Premier League.
Everton were deducted six points in 2024 after a breach of the financial rules, and Nottingham Forest were docked four points in the same year for the same charge.
Both cases were thought to be minor, with the punishment seen by many as extremely harsh. Considering the dramatically increased severity of Man City's charges in comparison, a staggering punishment could be on the table.
It is not out of the question that Man City look to make an agreement with the Premier League to avoid such a severe punishment, although the potential response to such an attempt is unclear.
"I do expect an appeal from Manchester City unless there has been a behind the scenes formal agreement," Hackett told Football Insider.
"A points deduction may well be the outcome along with a substantial fine. I think that the Premier League will certainly wish to have this matter resolved."
Man City's charges in full
The length of the outcome in the case of Man City comes down to the sheer unprecedented scale of the charges involved.
54 charges are of a failure to provide accurate financial information between 2009-10 to 2017-18 and 14 are of a failure to provide accurate details for player and manager payments in the same period.
Five are related to a failure to comply with UEFA's rules including financial fair play from 2013-14 to 2017-18.
Seven are for breaching the Premier League's profit and sustainability rules between 2015-16 and 2017-18.
And perhaps the most damning charge relates to 35 counts of a failure to co-operate with the Premier League's investigations between December 2018 and February 2023.