Every new Premier League champion if Man City are stripped of titles

It is a question that has surfaced time and time again since Manchester City were charged with 115 alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules: could they be stripped of their titles?

Back in February 2023, the Premier League charged City with breaking financial fair play rules on 115 occasions over a nine-year period, which started in 2009 and went on until 2018.

Between those dates, the Citizens lifted the league trophy on three occasions as the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool missed out on silverware.

READ MORE: Man City release statement after being found guilty of 114 Premier League charges

Can Manchester City be stripped of Premier League titles?

One of the big discussion points over the past few years has been the potential ramifications for other clubs if City are proven guilty of the charges they face.

Jose Mourinho, for example, brought up the 115 charges ahead of a Europa League clash between Fenerbahce and former club Manchester United in October 2024.

“As you know, we finished second in the Premier League [in 2018]," said Mourinho with a grin.

"I think we still have a chance to win that league because maybe they punish Manchester City with points, and maybe we win that league and then they have to pay me the bonus and give me the medal.”

The question remains: is it actually a possibility? Sub-clause W.51.7 of the Premier League handbook states that the commission can “impose upon the respondent any combination of the foregoing or such other penalty as it shall think fit”.

That leaves the door open for City to potentially be stripped of their titles.

Who would be crowned champions if Manchester City are stripped of their Premier League titles?

Of course, Manchester United finished level on points with City during the 2011-12 campaign but lost the title on goal difference after that moment from Sergio Aguero.

Liverpool finished runners-up in 2013-14 after missing out on the trophy by just two points and, as mentioned by Jose Mourinho, United finished second in the 2017-18 season, 19 points behind City.

Finance expert Kieran Maguire told Sky Sports in 2024 that it would be "difficult" for rival clubs to prove they had missed out on silverware because of City's alleged breaches.

"If you talk to lawyers, they will say it will be difficult for another club to say that they lost a title, or they lost probably more importantly access to the Champions League and the rewards that brings," said Maguire.

READ MORE: Man City FFP breaches explained: The major rules broken in 114 of 115 charges

Man City lift the Premier League trophy in 2014. Image credit: Getty

Last year, Sky reporter Rob Harris spoke with experts at the Business of Football Summit to discuss a number of subjects relating to City's case, including the question around having their Premier League titles stripped from them.

He spoke to Matt Hughes, a sports journalist at FootBiz, as well as sports lawyer Simon Leaf and The Sun reporter Martin Lipton.

When asked if City could have their titles stripped, Hughes said: "There seems to be no appetite to take retrospective punishment."

Leaf, meanwhile, said it was still "too early" to give his final decision on the matter, adding: "I suspect there will be certain clubs looking at this and saying, actually we would have been entitled to payments for qualifying for Champions League... or even bonuses from sponsors from finishing in a different position."

Lipton believes that title stripping is just "not going to happen" to City.

"If you were to strip titles, the single most iconic moment in the history of the Premier League - Sergio Aguero's 94th minute goal against QPR to win the league - didn't happen," he said. "You can't rewrite history to that extent."

Should City be found guilty of any charges, potential punishments include fines, points deductions or even, in the most severe scenario, relegation from the Premier League.

As mentioned in a report from The Athletic on Friday, City have reportedly been found guilty on 114 charges relating to financial breaches.

No sanctions have been decided as of yet, and City are expected to appeal the verdict from the independent commission.