Manchester City's Etihad Stadium (Via Pinterest)
Manchester City are one of the most powerful football clubs in the world right now, if not, the most. Their meteoric surge since 2010 has been nothing short of phenomenal. Since the 4th of August, the day Sheikh Mansour took charge, the Citizens have never looked back. In only 16 years’ time, they have won the Premier League title a staggering 8 times.
It all started to pour when Sergio Aguero’s hysteric last-second winner against QPR clinched Man City their first-ever EPL title, back in 2011-12. They immediately established themselves as a European powerhouse soon after that. Since then they have won the FA Cup 2 times, and also established themselves as giants in the League Cup – winning it a whopping 6 times. They also finally won the always-evading UEFA Champions League title after beating Inter Milan in the 2023 final, also sealing an impressive treble under the legendary Pep Guardiola (the current manager).
Although, it was Roberto Mancini who kick-started the glory days for the Citizens, Guardiola has been the one who has taken the club to celestial heights. In the last seven years, Man City have just missed out on winning the EPL once (to Liverpool, back in COVID-19 phase 1, 2020).
Despite being the club to beat, and favorite among a boatload of young fans around the world, Man City do have a quite evident blemish that has been plaguing them of late. The Mancunian club is facing a staggering 115 charges. Here is a deep dive into the 115 charges Manchester City are facing and what would happen if the club is found guilty.
The primary charge Manchester City are facing is the failure to provide accurate financial information. Ever since the ownership change in 2008, the club has splurged on a boatload of top stars, in most of the transfer windows. However, it is the transparency regarding the finances of the same which has been said to be quite grey, with little clarity.
The next charge is the inability of the club to provide full disclosure about player and manager remuneration, followed by breaching of English Premier League and UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations. The final charge is quite a surprising one – failure to cooperate with the investigations of the Premier League body.
4 years ago, back in early 2020, Manchester City were already hit with a similar charge, and in fact were found guilty which resulted in them being banned from the Champions League for two years. However, the decision was overturned after the club appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, successfully.
There might be severe consequences for Manchester City if they are found guilty of the charges they are facing. The obvious consequence would be a points deduction, as seen with Nottingham Forest and Everton in the 2023-2024 season.
Massive fines or penalties might be imposed on the club as well. The worst-case scenario the club might be hit with is relegation from the English Premier League, which might be the case if they are found guilty of all the charges.
The hearing for the charges of Manchester City began on the 16th of September, 2024. The trial is set to last for two months, and by the end of the 2024-25 season, the verdict is expected to be out. Until then it will be fingers crossed for Sheikh Mansour, Pep Guardiola, other stars and fans of the club.
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