Man City face points deduction large enough to guarantee Premier League relegation

Manchester City are facing a points deduction large enough to guarantee their relegation from the Premier League, according to insiders close to the ongoing financial misconduct case, with a second successive penalty potentially trapping them in the Championship for a further season.

City were found guilty last month of 114 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules across a nine-year period spanning 2009 to 2018. The Premier League accused the club of artificially inflating their income through what it described as sham sponsorship deals. City have consistently denied any wrongdoing and have lodged a formal appeal against the findings of the independent panel.

According to reporting by the Mail, insiders believe the sanctions — should City’s appeal fail — will include a substantial points deduction that would make top-flight survival mathematically impossible, as well as a significant financial fine. Beyond that, a further deduction is said to be under consideration that would effectively condemn the club to a second season in the second tier.

While the EFL would not be formally obligated to apply a punishment handed down by a Premier League panel to one of its own member clubs, the same sources suggest the governing body would be likely to comply.

The appeal process means supporters and the wider football world face a potentially lengthy wait before City’s final sanctions, if any, are confirmed. The club have maintained throughout that they possess evidence to prove their innocence and intend to pursue that argument fully through the appeals procedure.