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The full list of potential punishment scenarios for Man City

Published 16:47 30 Sept 2026 BST

Updated 16:47 30 Sept 2026 BST

SportsJOE
The full list of potential punishment scenarios for Man City

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Man City have been found guilty of 114 financial charges as confirmed in a recent Premier League statement.

Manchester City have been found guilty of all financial charges by an independent commission, as confirmed by the Premier League.

The league has released a statement, claiming that City have arranged "sham contracts" with sponsors, and were also  "relying on sham agreements to artificially inflate the club's revenues and reduce its costs".

City in response continue to deny the rules that they have been accused of breaking, including with comments from CEO Ferran Soriano that there is a "Premier League conspiracy theory" against the club.

So, what are the potential punishments for the club from here? JOE finds out.

City's potential punishments

  • Fine

The first punishment that Manchester City could potentially face is a fine, though it's likely to be much more severe.

  • Transfer embargo

A transfer embargo is the second potential punishment for Manchester City. The Citizens spent large in the summer, acquiring the likes of Iliman Ndiaye from Everton, Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea and Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. The club sold the likes of Savio to Tottenham Hotspur, and also loaned out Omar Marmoush to the North Londoners.

With City, a transfer embargo would be a significant blow for their incomings strategy, with all 11 starting players in their most recent 5-3 victory over Sunderland signed from other clubs. The only two homegrown players in the matchday squad were Nico O'Reilly and Rico Lewis.

  • Points deduction

A points deduction is seen as a likely punishment. Most recently, Everton were handed a 10-point deduction for breaching Premier League financial rules, with it being reduced to six points on appeal.

Nottingham Forest were also handed a four-point deduction for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules, though Man City's case is naturally much more severe than this and points deductions would most likely be across a number of seasons. A points deduction could be severe enough to see relegation for City.

The Premier League and EFL have also worked together before to impose point deductions. Leicester City were handed a points deduction in the Championship for breaking Premier League profit and sustainability rules.

  • Premier League expulsion

A Premier League expulsion is the punishment which most fans are demanding, though whether it occurs is another matter. The English Football League is a separate entity to the Premier League, meaning that the association does not have to accept City. Expulsion becomes complicated as it requires reordering of league attendants.

Thereby, a points deduction strong enough to relegate City is deemed a more likely outcome. The points deduction could also be strong enough to relegate the club across a number of seasons, meaning it wouldn't just be the Championship where City are doomed to.

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