Football finance expert names the number of points Manchester City face being deducted if they are found guilty in ‘trial of the century’
- Manchester City faces 115 charges over Financial Fair Play breaches
- The charges date all the way back to 2009 and continue into 2018
- LISTEN NOW: It’s all about to begin! available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Manchester City could face a deduction of up to 100 points if they are found guilty of financial irregularities, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire.
The perennial champions are defending 115 separate alleged breaches of financial regulations spanning nine years since 2009 and the most severe penalty if found guilty is relegation. Points deductions and fines are also possible punishments.
The league accused City of failing to provide accurate financial information and failing to provide accurate data on payments to players and managers.
An investigation was launched after Der Spiegel published Football Leaks documents in 2018, accusing City of funneling money from the club’s owners through sponsors in the United Arab Emirates.
The two sides will finally get their day in court, with proceedings set to begin on Monday. And Maguire reckons City could face a huge points penalty if they are found guilty on all counts.
Football finance expert Keira Maguire believes Man City could face a penalty of up to 100 points
City are accused of breaching 115 Premier League financial rules dating back to 2009
The most severe punishment if found guilty is demotion. Points deductions and fines are also possible punishments.
“They should face a significant point deduction if all 115 charges are proven,” he said. talkSPORT.
‘Then you would think the points deduction would be somewhere between 60 and 100 points, because they want the club to have suffered enough to be dropped from the division.’
The independent hearing is expected to last about two months, but reports suggest the verdict will not be made public until spring 2025.
Maguire added: ‘The hearing is eight weeks long, but if you have to put all that evidence before the committee it will probably take three to four months because they have to rule on each of those 115 charges individually.
‘If they are guilty of all these mistakes, then it must be so serious that any club considering doing it again realises that it would be very damaging to the future of that club.’
On Friday, City manager Pep Guardiola insisted the club was ready to hear what would happen and said he was pleased the trial had finally begun.
“It’s going to happen and we’re going to accept the punishment. I’m glad it starts on Monday and we’re going to see,” he said. “I know what people are looking for, I know what they’re expecting, but everyone is innocent until proven guilty.”
The trial into the alleged violations begins on Monday. Pictured: Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (right) and CEO Ferran Soriano (left)
His comments came just hours after La Liga president Javier Tebas claimed that Premier League clubs secretly yearn to see City punished. Tebas has been an outspoken critic of City and their spending model for years.
“I have spoken to many Premier League clubs and most of them understand that City should be sanctioned,” he is quoted as saying by Sports world.
He added that “they were once acquitted by CAS” [Court of Arbitration for Sport] for a formal matter,’ indicating that the lifting of the UEFA ban was merely a formality.
Javier Tebas also spoke about the Premier League, saying that ‘this year they have got their act together and have picked up points’.