Man City found guilty of 114 financial breaches as relegation and transfer ban predicted

Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 out of 115 Premier League financial charges by an independent panel, with the club now facing a potentially severe set of sanctions after one of English football’s longest-running investigations reached its verdict.

The charges related to alleged rule breaches between 2009 and 2018, a period during which City won multiple major honours under Pep Guardiola. The Premier League is now tasked with determining appropriate punishment, with reports indicating that clubs were informed of the resolution at a Thursday meeting. City are understood to be preparing an appeal and released a statement making no direct reference to a guilty verdict, citing strict confidentiality around the ongoing process.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy, speaking to Snabbare, said he was surprised by the scale of the guilty findings. “I’m really surprised to hear that they are guilty of all but one of the charges if I’m honest, as they have always been so robust and adamant regarding their innocence,” he said. “I do expect them to appeal and, contrary to reports, my gut feeling is that the process could be drawn out for quite some time.”

Murphy predicted a three-part punishment but argued against stripping City of titles already won. “I think it’s pointless stripping them of titles that they’ve already won, as the runners-up won’t feel any sense of satisfaction being given a title years later,” he said. “The fans, players and staff never had the feeling or experience of winning said titles, so it’s pointless to me.”

On likely sanctions, Murphy acknowledged the Premier League faces a difficult balancing act. “They are caught between a rock and a hard place because ultimately a relegation of any sorts lessens their product and makes the league less competitive,” he said. “That said, I think they will probably relegate them to the Championship, impose some sort of transfer ban, and give them a huge, record-breaking fine to send a message to the whole of football.”

Murphy also outlined what he sees as City’s most realistic best-case outcome. “I think their best hope is a big points deduction for this season and a record-breaking fine plus a year or two transfer ban,” he said.

The investigation was launched after financial documents were leaked in November 2018 and has continued throughout a dominant era for City domestically and in Europe. Guardiola, who oversaw that period of success, departed the Etihad Stadium this summer after a decade in charge. Liverpool were City’s closest domestic rivals during much of that spell, winning one Premier League title while twice finishing above 90 points without claiming the championship.