Manchester City‘s prolonged battle with the Premier League over what’s become known as the “115 charges” has reached a pivotal moment, and the stakes could not be higher.
According to financial experts following the saga, the club could face a staggering 60-point deduction if the most serious allegations are upheld, a sanction that would not only derail their current season but potentially plunge the club from title contention into a relegation fight.
City has consistently rejected any wrongdoing, and the team maintains its conduct has complied with league regulations.
But the case, which revolves around alleged breaches of financial fair play and other Premier League rules, has dragged on since charges were formally laid nearly three years ago in February 2023.
At the heart of the dispute is a sprawling set of accusations spanning nine seasons, which the Premier League claims involve improper financial reporting and failure to cooperate with investigations.
The independent hearing wrapped up in late 2024, yet more than a year later, a verdict has still not been announced.
Football finance specialist Kieran Maguire has emerged as a leading voice on the potential gravity of the punishment. Speaking to The Overlap, Maguire explained why a points penalty, rather than relegation, is the only realistic sporting sanction available under Premier League rules.
What the punishment would mean
Maguire’s assessment underscores how far this case could depart from precedent. While smaller clubs have faced modest sanctions in the past, such as Everton’s six-point deduction for a three-year breach, the sheer scope of City’s alleged offenses suggests a penalty potentially ten times greater.
“You have to add a zero to what we’ve seen,” Maguire said, placing a 40- to 60-point deduction firmly within the realm of logic based on historical cases.
Under Premier League regulations, the league cannot unilaterally relegate a club to the English Football League (EFL), meaning City cannot be dropped to the third or fourth divisions as some commentators have speculated.
Instead, any sporting sanction would need to come in the form of points lost in the top flight, which could have similarly dramatic effects.
A deduction of this magnitude would not merely dim Manchester City’s title hopes but could propel them into a relegation battle.
Such an outcome would reverberate across the English game and reshape the landscape of the ongoing Premier League season, with potential knock-on effects for rivals near the bottom of the table.
“How can you be in a meeting room with other members of the Premier League… with this accusation being proven?” Maguire went on. “Corporate fraud is a very serious accusation… the board has to go, and that could be a complete restructure of the club.”
City’s confidence has not wavered, however. The club insists it has “a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” to clear its name, particularly concerning allegations of non-cooperation, a core component of the 115 counts.
Yet for rivals and neutrals alike, the lack of a final ruling has only prolonged uncertainty. With vast amounts of evidence presented by both sides, the process has taken far longer than initially anticipated, and many within the sport believe that a decision could still arrive before the end of the current campaign.
