Manchester City have been charged with 100 separate breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations, with an independent commission set to determine whether the reigning champions are guilty of an unprecedented level of rule-breaking.
And should that be the case the Abu Dhabi-owned club could end up facing expulsion from the top tier of English football. The alleged breaches date back to the 2009/10 season and confirmation of the charges has arrived after four years of investigation by the league.
City said that it was "surprised" by the decision and there was "irrefutable evidence" in support of their position. They have previously vehemently denied any wrongdoing. So what happens now as English football veers into new territory?
The alleged breaches
In total the Premier League said that City have been charged with:
- 50 breaches of providing inaccurate financial information
- eight alleged breaches in relation to manager remuneration from 2009-13
- 12 breaches in relation to player remuneration between 2010-16
- 5 breaches linked to UEFA financial regulations
- 25 profitability and sustainability breaches
- and 30 breaches of assisting the Premier League's investigation, which began in March 2019
Next steps
The Premier League will appoint an independent judicial panel to examine the case and make a final decision. According to BBC the panel will be selected and chaired by Murray Rosen KC.
Hearings will be held in private and, owing to the number of breaches listed by the league this morning, could take a significant amount of time before decisions are reached.
A guilty verdict will also almost certainly be met with appeals by the club - meaning the entire process could still last several more years.
The league’s statement said: “Commissions are independent of the Premier League and member clubs. The members of the Commission will be appointed by the independent Chair of the Premier League Judicial Panel, in accordance with Premier League Rules W.19, W.20 and W.26.
“The proceedings before the Commission will, in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82, be confidential and heard in private. Under Premier League Rule W.82.2, the Commission’s final award will be published on the Premier League’s website.
“This confirmation is made in accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1. The Premier League will be making no further comment in respect of this matter until further notice.”
The punishments
Because this is new territory for the club, the league and English football as a whole, there is little precedent to refer to when it comes to punishment. But expulsion from the division is possible if the independent commission finds City guilty of a sufficient number of the alleged breaches. That would be the most severe of punishments.
The club could also be suspended for a set period of time, end up being hit with a points deduction to be served following the final decision.
There would also be associated financial penalties - with a fine potentially stretching into the tens of millions.
It is unclear if titles can be stripped from them retrospectively. The Premier League has said it will not comment again until the process is completed.
The relevant Premier League rule in relation to such punishments, W.51 says it can:
-reprimand the Respondent;
- impose upon the Respondent a fine unlimited in amount and suspend any part thereof;
- suspend it from playing in League Matches or any matches in competitions which form part of the Games Programmes or Professional Development Leagues (as those terms are defined in the Youth Development Rules) for such period as it thinks fit;
- deduct points scored or to be scored in League Matches or such other matches as are referred to in Rule W.51.4.1;
- recommend that the Board orders that a League Match or such other match as is referred to in Rule W.51.4.1 be replayed; and/ or W.51.4.4. recommend that the League expels the Respondent from membership in accordance with the provisions of Rule B.6;
- order the Respondent to pay compensation unlimited in amount to any Person or to any Club (or club);
- cancel or refuse the registration of a Player registered or attempted to be registered in contravention of these Rules;
- impose upon the Respondent any combination of the foregoing or such other penalty as it shall think fit;
- make any such penalty conditional, including imposing the penalty unless a defined action is taken by the Respondent within a defined period of time;
- order the Respondent to pay such sum by way of costs as it shall think fit which may include the fees and expenses of members of the Commission;
- make such other order as it thinks fit.
