How much Man City's rivals could claim in compensation for lost titles and prize money

In a seismic development that could reshape the landscape of English football, Manchester City have reportedly been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League, bringing the extraordinary saga into a new and potentially explosive chapter.

Following a four-year investigation, City were charged in February 2023 with 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations, covering a nine-season period between 2009-10 and 2017-18, while the case also included allegations relating to UEFA regulations and the club's failure to cooperate with the investigation.

It took almost three years after the 12-week hearing concluded in December 2024 for the long-awaited verdict to emerge, with reports on Friday revealing that an independent commission had found City guilty on all but one of the charges.

The scale of the finding is extraordinary, although the sanctions have yet to be determined and the written judgment has not been fully made public, meaning the most consequential chapter of this saga is still to come.

2009-2018: How many titles did Man City win?

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Between 2009 and 2018, Manchester City transformed themselves from perennial outsiders into one of English football's dominant forces, winning three Premier League titles during the period covered by the charges.

The first arrived in the unforgettable 2011-12 campaign under Roberto Mancini, when Sergio Aguero's stoppage-time winner against Queens Park Rangers delivered City's first league title since 1968 in one of the most dramatic finishes English football has witnessed.

City followed that triumph by winning the Premier League again in 2013-14, before Pep Guardiola's arrival ushered in another title-winning campaign in 2017-18, when they accumulated a then-record 100 points.

The trophy haul during the period extended beyond the league, with City winning the FA Cup in 2011 and lifting the EFL Cup in 2013-14, 2015-16 and 2017-18, laying the foundations for the extraordinary era that followed.

Man City: 115 charges and punishments they could face

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The charges brought against Manchester City relate primarily to the club's alleged failure to provide accurate financial information, player and manager remuneration details, compliance with UEFA regulations and Premier League PSR rules, as well as their alleged failure to cooperate with the league's investigation.

• 54 x failure to provide accurate financial information from 2009-10 to 2017-18.

• 14 x failure to provide accurate details for player and manager payments from 2009-10 to 2017-18.

• 5 x failure to comply with UEFA's rules, including Financial Fair Play, from 2013-14 to 2017-18.

• 7 x breaching Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules from 2015-16 to 2017-18.

• 35 x failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 to February 2023.

Manchester City have consistently denied wrongdoing throughout the case, and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has reiterated his belief that the club will ultimately prove its innocence, while a City statement stressed that the Premier League process remains ongoing and subject to confidentiality.

For now, the punishment remains the great unknown, with sanctions yet to be decided and the club expected to appeal the findings; the potential consequences discussed around the case include financial penalties and sporting sanctions, but no final punishment has been announced.

A points deduction, whether immediate or suspended, could have enormous ramifications, while a sufficiently severe sporting penalty could theoretically push City towards relegation, although it would be premature to suggest that any particular sanction is inevitable before the commission determines the punishment.

If City were ultimately removed from the Premier League, the consequences would extend far beyond one club, potentially creating an unprecedented disruption to the competition, while any retrospective consequences for their achievements during the period would depend on the eventual sanctions and appeal process.

Man City charges: Will clubs ask for compensation?

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According to The Times, the verdict could open the door for Manchester City's Premier League rivals to pursue more than £100m in compensation, with clubs potentially arguing that financial breaches affected their own opportunities to qualify for lucrative European competitions.

Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly served legal notices on City in 2024, reserving the right to seek compensation if the club were found guilty of serious breaches, although any such claims would have to navigate their own separate legal processes.

The potential losses calculated by some clubs are understood to include missed Champions League opportunities and associated commercial and broadcasting income, meaning the financial ramifications of the case could stretch well beyond whatever punishment the Premier League ultimately imposes.

An AI estimate has put the potential maximum total claims against Man City to over £600m, with Tottenham the most affected by missing out on multiple Champions League seasons. 

For City, therefore, the danger is no longer confined to a possible points deduction or fine, with the verdict potentially opening another front in a battle that has already consumed English football for years.

Will there be an appeal from Man City?

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Rodri, who spent five years at Manchester City before leaving for Real Madrid last summer, has said that he will continue to trust the club, unless proven otherwise. 

"They always express the confidence that they never did something wrong and we believe in that," Rodri said.

"Until the moment they are proved wrong, we will believe the club. They always tell us the confidence they have on the innocence."

The findings nevertheless concern alleged failures to provide accurate financial information, including details surrounding Roberto Mancini's remuneration and player payments, as well as allegations that City failed to cooperate with the Premier League's investigation.

There is a crucial distinction between the players' achievements on the pitch and the regulatory findings concerning the club, but the verdict inevitably casts a new shadow over the period in which City established themselves as English football's dominant force.

City are expected to appeal, and the legal battle is therefore far from over, but a finding of 114 guilty charges out of 115 represents an extraordinary blow to the club's position in the case and ensures that the fallout will be felt for years to come.

Whatever ultimately happens to the trophies, points or finances, the verdict has already changed the conversation surrounding one of the most successful eras in Premier League history, leaving City with another enormous battle to fight - this time not on the pitch, but over how their remarkable rise will ultimately be remembered.