Man City Charges: Could City Be Relegated?

Manchester City's long-running battle with the Premier League has reached its most significant point yet.

Reports on September 25 said an independent commission had found the majority of the charges against City proven, with The Athletic reporting that the club had been found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges commonly associated with the case.

That does not mean Manchester City have been relegated, deducted points or even formally told what their punishment will be.

The Premier League has not publicly released the commission's full judgment and has declined to comment because the proceedings remain private and confidential. Manchester City have also stressed that the process is not finished.

A City spokesperson said the process "remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed".

Sky Sports subsequently reported that the case is moving towards the appeal stage.

For Premier League supporters, however, the question has changed significantly. After years of asking whether any of the charges would be proven, attention is now turning to what punishment could follow.

And the biggest question of all is obvious.

Could Manchester City actually be relegated?

Could Manchester City Be Relegated?

Relegation is possible in theory, but Manchester City have not been relegated and no such punishment has been announced.

Premier League rules give an independent commission extensive powers when breaches are established.

Possible sanctions can include:

• A points deduction
• A financial penalty
• Suspension from league matches
• Cancellation or refusal of player registrations
• Compensation orders
• Conditional punishments
• A recommendation that the club be expelled from the Premier League
• Other sanctions considered appropriate by the commission

There is no simple table saying a particular financial breach automatically equals a particular number of points.

That is one reason predicting City's eventual punishment is difficult.

A large enough points deduction could obviously have relegation consequences if it left City inside the bottom three. Expulsion from the Premier League is another theoretical possibility under the rules, although that would be a different mechanism from simply finishing in a relegation position.

There would also be further questions about where an expelled club would play afterwards.

For now, none of those outcomes has happened.

What Are Manchester City's 115 Charges?

The phrase "115 charges" has followed Manchester City around for more than three years, but the case involves several different types of alleged rule breaches rather than 115 identical accusations.

The Premier League referred City to an independent commission in February 2023 following a lengthy investigation.

The allegations covered financial reporting, sponsorship income, payments to managers and players, compliance with UEFA financial regulations, Premier League profitability rules and City's cooperation with the league's investigation.

Some subsequent reporting has suggested that, because individual rules changed or were renumbered during the period, the technical number of breaches could be higher than 115. However, "115 charges" remains the widely recognised description of the case.

How Did the Manchester City Case Begin?

2018: Football Leaks Changes Everything

The story stretches back to 2018 and reporting by German publication Der Spiegel based on material from the Football Leaks cache.

The reports raised questions about Manchester City's commercial income and whether some payments described as sponsorship revenue had effectively been supported by the club's Abu Dhabi ownership.

There were also allegations concerning payments connected to former manager Roberto Mancini and questions over other financial arrangements.

City disputed the interpretation of the leaked material and maintained that documents had been obtained illegally and presented without proper context.

The reporting nevertheless triggered investigations that would follow Manchester City for years.

2019: UEFA Opens an Investigation

UEFA launched its own investigation in 2019.

In February 2020 its Club Financial Control Body found Manchester City had committed serious breaches of UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.

UEFA imposed a two-season ban from European club competitions and a €30 million fine.

At that point, one of Europe's most successful clubs appeared set to be removed from the Champions League.

City appealed.

Manchester City's 2020 CAS Victory

The Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned Manchester City's European ban in July 2020.

CAS found that several of UEFA's allegations had either not been established or were time-barred under UEFA rules.

However, the ruling did not completely clear City on every issue. CAS found that the club had failed to cooperate properly with UEFA's investigation.

The €30 million fine was reduced to €10 million.

This distinction became important when the Premier League continued its own investigation.

The domestic case was separate from UEFA's proceedings and operated under different rules.

The Premier League investigation therefore continued long after City's successful CAS appeal.

February 2023: The Premier League Charges Manchester City

On February 6, 2023, the Premier League publicly announced that Manchester City had been referred to an independent commission.

The announcement immediately became one of the biggest stories in Premier League history.

City said it was surprised by the charges and argued that its position was supported by a "comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence".

Then-manager Pep Guardiola repeatedly defended the club while making clear that the legal process needed to run its course.

Guardiola had previously said of the club's hierarchy: "If you lie to me, the day after I am not here."

City continued winning football matches while the case developed away from the pitch.

September 2024: The Hearing Begins

The hearing into the Premier League's charges finally began on September 16, 2024.

It was held privately before an independent three-person commission.

The hearing lasted approximately 12 weeks and concluded on December 6, 2024.

Given the number of allegations, documents and legal arguments involved, a quick judgment was never guaranteed.

Even so, the wait became far longer than many supporters expected.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters eventually acknowledged that the process had "taken longer than expected".

City maintained throughout that it had done nothing wrong.

September 2026: Reports Say Most Charges Were Proven

The story took another huge turn on September 25, 2026.

Reports said the independent commission had reached its decisions.

The Athletic reported that Manchester City had been found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges commonly associated with the case, while other reporting described the majority of charges as proven.

This needs to be presented carefully.

The complete judgment has not yet been published publicly by the Premier League.

That means supporters still do not have the full written reasoning explaining precisely which breaches were proven, the commission's reasoning or the final sanction.

Manchester City have also not accepted that the process is complete.

The club said significant elements remain outstanding and pointed again to its original position from February 2023.

What Happens to Manchester City Next?

The next major stage is expected to involve an appeal.

Sky Sports reported on September 26 that both sides have the ability to appeal within 14 days of the judgment.

Any appeal would be heard by a new three-person panel.

Unlike City's previous UEFA case, Manchester City cannot simply take this Premier League decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

A separate process would also determine sanctions.

That means there could still be considerable legal ground to cover before supporters know the punishment City ultimately face.

Could Manchester City Receive a Points Deduction?

Yes.

A points deduction is explicitly among the sanctions available under Premier League rules.

What nobody yet knows is how many points could be involved if that punishment is chosen.

Recent Premier League financial cases show that points deductions can be used.

Everton received points deductions during the 2023/24 season for breaches of the Profitability and Sustainability Rules, while Nottingham Forest were also docked points.

City's case, however, is substantially different in both its scope and the nature of many of the allegations.

It would therefore be misleading to take those previous deductions and simply multiply them to guess Manchester City's punishment.

There is no established calculation that allows anyone to say that 114 reported proven charges automatically equals a particular number of points.

Could Manchester City Be Expelled From the Premier League?

Premier League rules give a commission the ability to recommend expulsion.

That makes it legally possible as a sanction, but possible is not the same as likely or confirmed.

There are also practical complications.

Expulsion from the Premier League would raise questions over EFL membership, the division in which City could play and the consequences for other clubs.

Those questions would only become relevant if such an extreme sanction were actually imposed.

At present, it has not been.

Could Manchester City Lose Previous Premier League Titles?

This is another question supporters immediately ask.

The commission has wide sanctioning powers, but retrospective removal of City's previous Premier League titles should not be presented as an established outcome.

No titles have been removed.

There could also eventually be separate legal arguments involving clubs who believe they suffered financial losses through missed Champions League qualification, league positions or other outcomes.

Those possibilities remain speculative unless formal claims are actually brought.

Why This Case Matters Beyond Manchester City

The consequences extend beyond one club.

The Premier League's financial regulations are intended to protect competitive balance and ensure clubs provide accurate financial information.

If serious breaches are ultimately upheld following the full appeals process, the punishment could establish an important reference point for future cases.

If City successfully overturn substantial parts of the decision, that would also raise major questions about how the Premier League investigated and prosecuted the case.

Either way, the final outcome will be studied by every Premier League club.

It could also influence future financial regulation at a time when English football is already debating sustainability rules, spending restrictions and the relationship between club wealth and sporting competition.

Man City Charges Timeline

So, Will Manchester City Be Relegated?

The simple answer is that we do not know.

Manchester City have not been relegated. They have not had points deducted and no final punishment has been publicly announced.

What has changed is the seriousness of the situation.

Reports that the overwhelming majority of the charges have been proven mean the conversation is no longer solely about accusations.

The next questions concern the appeal, which findings ultimately survive that process and what sanctions the independent process decides are appropriate.

A substantial points deduction could have major consequences for Manchester City's Premier League position. Expulsion is also among the powers available under Premier League rules.

But neither outcome should be reported as a certainty.

After an investigation stretching back years, a 12-week hearing and a lengthy wait for a decision, English football may finally be moving towards an answer.

It just is not there yet.