Biggest points deductions in football history as Man City face potential sanctions for Premier League rule breaches

Manchester City are facing the possibility of significant sanctions after reportedly being found guilty of 114 breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations.

The eight-time Premier League winners were initially charged with 115 alleged breaches between 2009 and 2018. 

At this stage, a decision is yet to be made on any potential punishment, although a points deduction is something that will be open to the disciplinary commission.

With that in mind, Sports Mole has taken a look at some of the biggest points deductions that have been handed out in football history.

Luton Town - 30 points (2008-09)

After suffering back-to-back relegations, Luton, now in League Two, were handed a massive 30-point deduction at the start of the 2008-09 season.

The Hatters were docked 10 points by the FA for irregularities in their transfer dealings and a further 20-point sanction by the EFL after exiting administration without a Company Voluntary Agreement.

Luton recorded 13 wins and 17 draws in their 46 league games, but unsurprisingly, they finished bottom of the League Two table.

They then spent the next five years in the National League until they won promotion back to the EFL in 2013-14, which started their impressive journey to the English top flight.

AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio - 30 points (2005-06)

The Calciopoli scandal rocked Italian football in 2006 as part of an initial investigation into claims of doping at Juventus.

Through their investigation, which included transcripts from wiretapped conversations, the Italian authorities found that refereeing officials were being pressured to favour certain clubs. 

The investigation implicated Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio, Fiorentina, Arezzo and Reggina.

Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi was at the centre of the scandal, and it was the Turin side that paid the heaviest price as their hefty set of sanctions included relegation to Serie B.

Lazio and Fiorentina were initially set to join Juventus in the second tier before they were reinstated with a points deduction for the following season. 

Prior to their punishment for the 2006-07 campaign, Lazio, Fiorentina and AC Milan were docked 30 points for the 2005-06 season.

Lazio ended up in 16th place, Fiorentina finished in ninth, while Milan still claimed second place despite the significant punishment. 

Fiorentina, Milan and Lazio then started the following campaign on -15, -8 and -3 respectively.

Grazer AK - 28 points (2006-07)

Around the same time as the Calciopoli scandal, Grazer were struggling with their own problems in Austria. 

The club fell into administration and was punished with a series of point deductions for their troubles.

They were docked six points for a failure to pay creditors, 10 more for breaches of financial regulations and a further 12 for licensing breaches.

Working 28 points in arrears, Grazer finished at the bottom of the Austrian Bundesliga table with six points to their name.

To make matters worse, they were barred from competing in any professional league, resulting in their relegation straight to the regional leagues.

The issues eventually resulted in the club's liquidation in 2012, although they have since risen from the ashes after Grazer fans set up a Phoenix club.

Limerick - 26 points (2019)

Limerick were handed a heavy 26-point deduction when they entered examinership in 2019.

As a result of the points deduction, Limerick finished bottom of the 10-team League of Ireland First Division.

While there was no relegation in the league, they failed to receive a license for the 2020 campaign after racking up debts of around £420,000. 

They were eventually granted a license, but only after changing their name to Treaty United. 

FC Dnipro - 24 points (2016-17)

Ukrainian side FC Dnipro accumulated a 24-point penalty in the 2016-17 campaign, starting with a six-point deduction for failing to settle debts with their former coach Juande Ramos and his staff.

Six points were deducted for their failure to pay former player Danilo Sousa Campos as per the decision of a FIFA disciplinary committee, and three more for their inability to act on one of the decisions of a disciplinary committee.

A further nine were taken off at the end of a campaign that saw them finish in 11th place, three points above bottom-placed side Volyn Lutsk.

Rather than being relegated to the second tier, Dnipro faced further punishment with a demotion to the third tier, but they never returned as they were forced into bankruptcy in 2018. 

Derby County - 21 (2021-22)

Derby were relegated from the Championship in 2021-22 after being hit by a 21-point deduction.

The Rams, who were managed by Wayne Rooney at the time, received an initial 12-point penalty for entering administration in September 2021.

They then lost nine more points in November 2021 after admitting to breaches of the EFL's accounting rules.

Derby recorded 14 victories and 13 draws in 46 games, but the significant points penalty condemned them to a 23rd-place finish and relegation to League One.