The Fort Worth Press - Manchester City guilty of Premier League charges: What comes next?

City have announced their intent to appeal, but barring a reversal of the decision, the dominant Premier League force for more than a decade face severe sanctions.

A hefty points penalty that would lead to relegation is the most likely outcome, but there is also speculation City could be stripped of some of the many titles and trophies they have won over the past 15 years.

AFP Sport looks at the next steps and potential fallout from the case:

Sanction and appeals process

A Premier League statement on Tuesday confirmed what had leaked out in the media a few days earlier, that City had been found guilty on almost all of the 115 charges they faced.

Yet, a case that began after German outlet Der Spiegel published leaked documents from City executives in 2018, could still take a long time to reach a conclusion.

The same independent commission that found City guilty will now have to agree upon a sanction.

According to Premier League rules, that could vary from a points deduction, a fine or even expulsion from the division.

Everton and Nottingham Forest were handed points deductions in the 2023/24 season for single breaches of financial sustainability rules. On that basis, City would face likely relegation if the guilty verdict is upheld.

Whether the sanction is applied before an appeal is heard will be another bone of contention.

If it is, City could face relegation before overturning any guilty verdict.

On the other hand, if City, who currently sit top of the table, are not punished until after an appeal, it could cost other clubs their place in the top-flight or lucrative European qualification.

Even after the Premier League process if over, there is also the chance that City's Abu Dhabi-backed owners seek redress in England's High Court if they challenge a legal issue regarding how the arbitration process was conducted.

The club remain steadfast in denying any culpability.

In a defiant letter to City fans on Saturday, the club's chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: "Our confidence and intent in proving the club's innocence is just as strong as when this began."

Who stands to gain?

City's rivals were quick to revel in the news of their potential demise.

"Another Premier League medal to be added to the cabinet," posted former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who was part of the United team that finished second to City in the 2011/12 season.

The reality is that stripping and retroactively awarding titles is a messy process.

City's charges relate to the period between 2009 and 2018. In that time they won four league titles, with United and Liverpool twice finishing second in those seasons.

Yet City have won another four since, arguably built on foundations that were fraudulently gained.

They also won four League Cups and one FA Cup, the club's first trophy for 35 years, in the period between 2009 and 2018.

"I don't seriously believe any other trophies and titles will be handed back over either," Tony Pulis, whose Stoke side lost the 2011 FA Cup final to City, told the BBC.

"A points deduction and a massive fine feels far more likely. But I still feel cheated."

A more likely source of recompense for clubs that missed out is financial compensation.

What about City's stars?

Less than a month ago, City completed the biggest ever transfer spend in one window, splashing out around £460 million on players including Enzo Fernandez, Elliott Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi.

The uncertainty over their future has to this point made little impact on City's ability to attract top stars and retain their own key players.

Talismanic striker Erling Haaland signed a nine-year contract in 2025 that could keep him tied to City till his 34th birthday.

How many, if any, of the players negotiated exit clauses in the event that City were heavily sanctioned remains to be seen.

M.Delgado--TFWP