City face 'multiple double-figure' points deduction as Premier League rivals grow 'very unhappy'

Manchester City face a points deduction running into “multiple double figures” if their appeal against a guilty verdict for financial rule breaches fails, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has warned — with the total financial sanctions potentially exceeding one billion pounds.

The independent commission found City guilty of all but one of the alleged charges relating to financial rule breaches. The club maintain their innocence and have lodged an appeal against the verdict, meaning the full picture of any sanctions remains unclear while non-disclosure agreements keep proceedings confidential.

Speaking on GIVEMESPORT’s Market Madness podcast, Maguire outlined the scale of the potential punishment. “Over the rolling three-year period, in some years we could be talking about a £350 million difference,” he said. “That would shatter all records for PSR compliance. Everton and Nottingham Forest’s deductions covered a single breach in a single year, an overspend of no more than £20 million. So is there a ceiling on what can be deducted? It has to be multiple double figures of points, before you start the calculations.”

Maguire also attempted to quantify the broader financial exposure. “If you add up nine years of Champions League non-participation for individual clubs at an average of £50 million a time, around £20 million for the Europa League, plus potential claims from players who missed bonuses, the Premier League’s legal fees and a fine, we’re talking in excess of a billion pounds regardless of the points deduction.”

On the more extreme possibility of expulsion from the Premier League, Maguire urged caution. “I think it would be a very unusual vote,” he said. “The other clubs would have to bear in mind that Manchester City would probably take legal redress, and that could prove very expensive if they are expelled without the verdict being held and without the appeal. So it’s a dangerous route to go down.”

Maguire also noted a growing sense of frustration among rival clubs. “Some of the other elite clubs are very unhappy with the delay in the situation because they feel it has an impact upon their ability to qualify for the Champions League,” he said, adding that mid-tier clubs have separate concerns about the mounting legal costs being absorbed by the Premier League as a whole.

City’s appeal means the sanctions hearing outcome may not be made public until the appeal process concludes, leaving the rest of the division in a prolonged period of uncertainty.