Manchester City’s 115 charges case – my perspective.

Let me preface this for a moment – I am a Manchester City fan, and have been for as long as I can remember.

There’s been all kinds of speculation about what kind of punnishment Manchester City will receive as they have been found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges of violating Premier League financial rules from the start of the 2008 – 2009 season through the end of the 2017 – 2018 season.

I am no attorney by any means, just a humble accountant, and the whole thing is under appeal. I’ve heard everything from a huge points deduction, stripping of silverware, relegation(s) to outright expulsion from the league. I am just providing my own thoughts.

Now, remember, there is an appeal already in place, so until this whole process finishes, nothing is set in stone.

I want to look at this under 3 different areas. First, what to do about the timeframe in question. Second, the sanctions to apply currently, and potential sanctions applied to the ownership.

The seasons under investigation

There have been calls for any silverware won to be stripped. Erased from the record so to speak. This isn’t a Calciopoli situation – where there was match fixing (looking at you, Juve). It had nothing to do with event that took place on the pitch. There’s a key difference here. The players and coaches were not involved in the wrongdoing. Sure, there will be those who say that without the cheating, there wouldn’t be a David Silva, a Yaya Toure, a Sergio Aguero, et al on the squad. Then again, who is to say that wouldn’t have happened. Also, I seriously think that they don’t really want to go through that. Given that all the silverware was won by the players that were on the pitch – I do not see any trophies being stripped.

Sanctions that would be fitting

I’m not saying a huge fine – that would be a slap on the wrist by itself. If the appeal does not eliminate all 114 confirmed charged, then this is what I would like to see.

1. A points deduction of somewhere between 30 – 40 that applies not only to this season, but for the next 3 seasons as well.
2. A transfer ban that runs through the same time period
3. UEFA ban for the same period – so no sneaking into European competitions at all via wining a domestic cup or this seasons Champions League
4. Significant cinancial penalty – we’re talking a few hundred million pounds here – to be distributed amongst all the league and the EFL teams.
5. Wage restrictions – I know the current rules limit squad costs to 85% of revenue. Well, let’s lower that to UEFA’s 70% for a few years.

The points deductions will almost certainly endure that Man City languishes mid-table for years to come, with the real possibility of a relegation if they have a bad season. The transfer ban prevents them from going after star players, even on a free. The UEFA ban hurts even more, as some players will probably want to leave if it means they play in the champions league. It in essence forces city to rely on its academy to replenish the squad. The SCR penalty would also act as a deterrent. Imagine having to sell someone like Haaland because now all of a sudden their payroll is way too high to escape another sanction, with no outside replacement possible. This makes City into Brentford or some other mid table team over time.

The ownership – and the IFR

This is where things can get very interesting. The UK Independent Football Regulator has a role to play here. Given the severity of the charges, the question must be asked if the owner had knowledge of, or was involved personally in, said cheating. If he was completely outside of the cheating, then fine, go after the parties that were involved. Otherwise, the IFR could deem the ownership unfit and literally force the team to be sold.

Any which way you slice it – I don’t think everybody will like the punishment meted out. I’ll still support City as far as the players on the pitch, regardless of what happens. Mind you, I also support Bolton & Sheffield Wednesday.