Could Liverpool and Man Utd be awarded Premier League titles if they're stripped from Man City?

Manchester City have been charged with over 100 alleged breaches of financial rules by the Premier League which, if the club is found guilty of any breach, could have an impact on Liverpool and Manchester United.

The club have been charged with alleged financial breaches over a period of nine years, from the 2009/10 season up to the 2017/18 season, as per a Premier League official statement.

City's charges include details relating to player and manager remuneration, accuracy of financial information, not co-operating with an investigation, profitability and sustainability, and not handing over documents as required over five seasons from 2018/19 to 2022/23 campaign.

In an official statement, City said they are 'surprised' at the issuing of the alleged breaches, and welcome the matter being reviewed by an independent commission.

If the club is found guilty of any breaches, sanctions could include a points deduction, compensation, an order to pay costs, or, in a much harsher punishment, expulsion from the Premier League, according to Sky Sports.

Could Man City lose Premier League titles?

If a points deduction is applied to City, it is unclear whether it would be awarded solely for the current season or whether it would be done retrospectively across any of the nine seasons the Premier League has been investigating.

Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol, however, has said that he would 'discount the chances of anything happening this season' due to any verdict not expected to arrive quickly.

In a Daily Mail report from 2020, it was claimed that the club could lose their 2014 title if they were found to have breached financial rules by the Premier League.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told Sky Sports on Monday that other clubs could potentially allege that they lost titles if any breaches are proven, although this is said to be difficult.

🗣️ “It will be difficult for another club to say that they lost a title or lost probably more in access to the Champions League.”@KieranMaguire on potential ramifications of other clubs if Manchester City are proved guilty of the charges they face. 🏆❌ pic.twitter.com/F3WTKRokCh

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 6, 2023

There is also no precedent for teams being stripped of titles in English football's history. However, in 1990, Swindon Town were charged with 35 cases of illegal payments made to players over a four-year period. They then pleaded guilty to the 36 charges brought to them by the Football League, as recalled by the Sunderland Echo, and a further 20 infringements relating to financial irregularities.

Having recently won promotion to the First Division via the play-offs, the club were stripped of that honour and also relegated to the Third Division - reduced to one relegation to the Second Division on appeal.

If City were found guilty of any breaches and stripped of any of their six Premier League titles as a result, it is not clear whether those titles would be awarded to the teams in second place in each of those seasons.

Following the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, which saw Juventus stripped of two Serie A titles and relegated, the 2005/06 title was awarded to second-placed Inter Milan. The 2004/05 title, however, was not re-awarded.

In 2011/12, 2017/18 and 2020/21, Manchester United finished as runners-up, whilst in 2013/14, 2018/19 and 2021/22, Liverpool were in second place to City.