Can Manchester City be relegated because of its financial fair play problems?

Manchester City have been accused of breaching Financial Fair Play rules over 100 times between 2009 and 2018, something for which they are currently under investigation. The club allegedly did not provide accurate financial information to the Premier League, misleading regulators about the revenue made including both sponsorship income and operating costs.

The case, since the original statement on the case was made in February of this year, has caused wild speculation to flourish regarding a potential punishment for the club, with everything from a points deduction to relegation supposedly potential options.

“In accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League confirms that it has today referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club (Club) to a Commission under Premier League Rule W.3.4″, the Premier League said in February. The club denied all charges and even said in a statement that they were “surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches... particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with”.

What punishment could Manchester City face? Will they be relegated?

The club were given a two-year UEFA ban from European competitions, something that was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport when they appealed, with the ruling saying that many of the alleged breaches were either “not established” or “time-barred”. However, the Premier League has now referred the club to an independent commission, one which will not be able to be taken on by CAS and time barring is not taken into consideration.

The Premier League’s report did not mention the specific punishment that Manchester City could face should they be found guilty when the time comes to make a decision, but the potential punishments are there to see in the laws. According to section W.51.4 of the Premier League’s official rules and regulations, the following sanctions are possible: “a fine of unlimited quantity, suspension of a club from playing in league matches, with an unlimited timeframe, point deductions, replays of past matches, permanent expulsion” and the added ability by the commission to “make any such other order as the commission sees fit”.

Will Manchester City get a bigger punishment than Everton?

On November 17, Everton were found guilty of breaching the league’s profit and sustainability rules and were handed an immediate 10-point deduction that has seen them plummet down the league table from 14th to 19th. The club teetered precariously around the relegation zone last season, surviving by just two points, but this season things look more complicated given their punishment has, as stated, come into immediate effect. Manchester City’s case is a lot more complicated and lengthy, meaning that the punishment they will receive, if any, could well be many times bigger than that of The Toffees.

It must be remembered that given the intricate and simply sizeable nature of the case, it is unlikely that we see a verdict handed out for months or possibly years to come, simply due to the immense level of detail and scrutiny that it is will have to undergo in order to arrive at a decision.