On 19 October, Oliver Holt, sports editor of the Daily Mail, reported that Manchester City is on course for a points deduction severe enough to send the club down to the Championship. The report relies on unnamed internal sources, and neither the Premier League nor the club has confirmed any penalty. According to the newspaper, the deduction would be large enough to rule out an immediate return to the Premier League, and a substantial fine would accompany it. Holt is also reported to have said that a further points deduction, possibly in the 2027/28 season, could keep City in the second tier for a second year. Outlets relaying the story, including JN and Notícias ao Minuto, describe a stay of about two seasons in the Championship. Telegraaf adds that the Premier League wants the penalty announced before the appeal is resolved.
The Premier League's independent commission found Manchester City guilty of breaching its financial rules. The number of breaches varies by outlet: several reports cite 115, while LaSexta says the club was convicted on 114 of the 115 charges, and Telegraaf reports more than 100. LaSexta says the conduct spans 2009-10 to 2017-18 and involved concealing irregularities in the club's accounts. City has always denied the allegations and has lodged an appeal against the commission's findings. JN says the appeal result is expected before the end of January, and Notícias ao Minuto reports that the Premier League wants the commission to announce its decision first.
Sources cited by Holt regard expulsion from the Premier League, and a drop to League Two, as improbable. Expulsion would, they argue, throw both the Premier League and the English Football League into chaos, since the EFL runs the Championship and the divisions beneath it. JN reports Holt calling expulsion a self-inflicted defeat, while Notícias ao Minuto has him describing it as counterproductive. The punishment is seen as a way to make an example of the club while still leaving it a route back to the top flight. Fanpage, relaying the same sources, notes that expulsion would send City below the Championship and force a restart in League Two at the start of next season.
LaSexta reports that City would complete the current domestic season, so as not to disrupt other clubs, before any deduction takes effect. Under the reported scenario, a heavy fine together with the points loss could also lead to a change in the club's current ownership. On the pitch, City leads the Premier League with 21 points from seven wins in seven matches, according to JN. Fanpage puts the club two points clear of Arsenal after seven matches and says the sanction would undo the work of coach Enzo Maresca, who took over after Pep Guardiola. Until the appeal is decided, the reported punishment remains unconfirmed by the Premier League and the club.
Pollar is free and carries no ads in the text. Its members keep it going.
Support PollarFootball · Manchester
Citing internal sources, the Daily Mail reports a points deduction large enough to send Manchester City to the Championship, plus a heavy fine, while the club's appeal is pending.
AI text based on reports by SAPO, LaSexta, Fanpage and other publishers. Published .