Liam Gallagher claims insider tip points to fine and transfer ban for Man City

Liam Gallagher has claimed that a well-placed source has told him Manchester City will be handed a fine and a transfer ban — and nothing more — if they lose their appeal against 114 Premier League financial rule breaches. The rock star and lifelong City supporter shared the claim on X on Sunday, two days after an independent panel found the club guilty of all but one of the 115 charges brought against them in 2023.

Posting in his characteristically unfiltered style, Gallagher wrote: “Just been told by someone in a very very high position if we lose our appeal which we won’t we’ll be getting a FINE and TRANSFER BAN and that’s it so all you desperate neurotic S****BUBBLES hush it up to ras MCFC LG x.”

The verdict, delivered on Friday, sent shockwaves through English football and immediately sparked widespread debate about what an appropriate punishment might look like. Suggestions from pundits and rival supporters have ranged from substantial points deductions to relegation from the Premier League, while the possibility of stripping City of titles won between 2009 and 2018 — the period in which the alleged wrongdoing took place — has also been raised.

City are widely expected to appeal the ruling, having maintained their innocence throughout a process that has taken the best part of three years. That appeal means any formal punishment could still be a considerable time away, leaving clubs and fans in a prolonged period of uncertainty.

Gallagher’s brother Noel, also a lifelong City supporter, separately expressed shock at the guilty verdict. “All along the club reassured us and vehemently denied all the charges,” Noel said. “It was a shock to hear we were guilty on all but one of them.” He added that while the findings might taint the club’s achievements in the eyes of others, his own memories of those title wins remained intact. “Whatever goes on in the boardroom, it’s nothing to do with the supporters or the players. We were there, we know what we saw.”

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak also addressed supporters in an open letter on Saturday, thanking them for their loyalty throughout the saga and reaffirming the club’s intention to contest the panel’s findings.

Liam Gallagher’s claim carries no official weight, and the true scale of City’s punishment — should their appeal fail — remains entirely a matter for the Premier League’s disciplinary process. Given the unprecedented nature of the case, legal and football governance experts have cautioned that the outcome is genuinely difficult to predict.