All the new Premier League winners if Man City lose their titles
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People have been asking over and over since Manchester City were charged with 115 possible breaches of Premier League financial rules: could they lose their titles?
Back in February 2023, the Premier League said City broke financial fair play rules 115 times over nine years, from 2009 to 2018. During that time, City won the league three times while teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool missed out.
One big topic has been what could happen to other clubs if City are found guilty. For example, Jose Mourinho mentioned the 115 charges before a Europa League game in October 2024 between Fenerbahce and his old team, Manchester United. He joked, “We finished second in the Premier League in 2018. Maybe City will get punished with points, we’ll win the league, and then they’ll have to pay me my bonus and give me a medal!”
So, could City really lose their titles? The Premier League rules say the commission can give any penalty they think is right, so it’s possible City could be stripped of their trophies.
To remember, Manchester United finished level on points with City in 2011-12 but lost the title on goal difference after Sergio Aguero’s famous goal. Liverpool were runners-up in 2013-14, just two points behind City, and, as Mourinho said, United were second again in 2017-18, 19 points behind.
Finance expert Kieran Maguire told Sky Sports in 2024 it would be “difficult” for other clubs to prove they lost trophies because of City’s rule-breaking. He said lawyers think it would be tough to show a club definitely lost out on a title or access to the Champions League.
Last year, Sky’s Rob Harris talked to experts at the Business of Football Summit about City’s case, including the idea of taking away their titles. Matt Hughes, a sports journalist, said, “There seems to be no appetite to take retrospective punishment.” Sports lawyer Simon Leaf said it was “too early” to say for sure but admitted some clubs might feel they missed out on money or bonuses. Reporter Martin Lipton from The Sun thinks stripping City’s titles just won’t happen. He said, “If you strip titles, you erase the most iconic moment in Premier League history—Aguero’s 94th-minute goal against QPR. You can’t rewrite history like that.”
If City are found guilty, they could face fines, losing points, or in a worst-case scenario, even relegation from the Premier League. According to a recent report, City have been found guilty on 114 charges so far. No punishments have been decided yet, and City plan to appeal the decision.