Man City Could Face 29-Club Compensation Claim If Found Guilty

As many as 29 clubs could potentially seek compensation from Manchester City if they are found guilty in their 115 charges case against the Premier League.

In February 2023, City were accused of 115 breaches of financial rules over a nine-year period and a hearing over the matter took place in September, with both sides assembling an expensive set of lawyers.

Proceedings concluded in December, with a three-person Independent Commission panel hearing closing arguments and handed the responsibility of coming up with a verdict which will have a seismic impact on English football either way.

No outcome has been decided or announced, with the saga continuing to drag on for nearly a year and no concrete news on when it will come to a close.

City, who reached a settlement agreement with the Premier League over APT rules, have strenuously denied the charges and say they are "totally confident" that they will be "exonerated".

City deny all the charges against them. Image: Getty

The club claim they have "irrefutable evidence" proving their innocence, with football finance expert Kieran Maguire claiming that for City to be convicted, the commission would have to decide that those high up at City, as well as Abu Dhabi sponsors Etihad and Etisalat, were culpable of financial manipulation.

If City are found guilty, possible punishments include significant fines and points deductions.

What are the 115 charges against Man City?

• Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 - 54 alleged breaches
• Failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 - February 2023 - 35 alleged breaches
• Failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 - 14 alleged breaches
• Breaches of Premier League profitability and sustainability regulations from 2015/16 to and including 2017/18 - Seven alleged breaches
• Failure to comply with UEFA's regulations, including UEFA's Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations - Five alleged breaches

Other clubs are also eagerly anticipating the final verdict, with law firm Norton Rose Fulbright stating that it "is possible that other clubs might conclude that those breaches caused them harm in relation to their relative performance in the league".

They go on to state that the clubs in question "may ask that the Premier League seeks redress on their behalf in the current arbitration by seeking an order that City pay compensation".

It's said the most likely course of action would be to produce a claim against City, which is what Sheffield United did against West Ham in 2007 after breaching third-party ownership rules and avoiding relegation.

29 clubs who featured in the Premier League during the nine-year window of alleged substantial breaches may have a case, with some having more of a compelling argument than others.

A decision on City's case has not yet been revealed. Image: Getty

In the article, clubs named include: Aston Villa, Burnley, Hull City, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Birmingham City, Blackpool, West Ham United, Arsenal, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Wigan Athletic, Reading, QPR, Norwich City, Fulham, Cardiff City, Southampton, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Swansea City, Stoke City, and West Bromwich Albion.

The claimant club would have to prove "factual causation and legal causation" that they missed out on the opportunity to finish in a higher league position and accrue higher revenues from multiple streams had City not allegedly broken rules.

The law firm put together a league table of who could potentially mount a claim. Image: Norton Rose Fulbright

Though retrospective punishment such as stripping of titles and awarding them elsewhere is not expected to be on the cards, it's said that clubs who were relegated, finished as runners up or outside Champions League or Europa League places, may have the stronger cases.

For example, Manchester United finished as runners-up in that period, losing the Premier League title to City on goal difference in 2011/12 before finishing 19 points behind their dominant rivals in 2017/18.