English media: 'Manchester City relegated from the Premier League after historic ruling'
Manchester City are set to be hit harder than ever after Thursday's verdict in the long-running case over the Premier League's financial rules, according to leading British media. The English giants have been found guilty by the independent commission on 114 of the 115 charges, and there is now open talk in England of relegation, titles being stripped and compensation claims from other clubs.
The case centres on alleged financial breaches between 2008 and 2018. Throughout the legal battle, which has been ongoing since 2024, City insisted they had 'irrefutable evidence' of their innocence, but according to The Telegraph, the independent commission has completely demolished that position. The newspaper describes it as potentially 'the most far-reaching legal verdict ever in English football'.
The Telegraph argue that an exceptional offence should bring an exceptional sanction. "For Manchester City, the unpleasant truth can no longer be softened now," writes chief sports journalist Oliver Brown, who describes relegation across multiple divisions as 'an appropriate starting point'. According to him, there is now a symbolic asterisk next to all 20 major trophies City won in the period in question.
The newspaper says it does not stop there, because the seven Premier League titles from that period should also be open to question. The Telegraphdraw a comparison with Lance Armstrong, who was stripped of all seven of his Tour de France victories after receiving a lifetime ban. "Those achievements are now so tainted that they have effectively become irrelevant today," runs the devastating verdict on City's championships.
Removing those titles could have huge consequences for the English football record books. Manchester United finished behind City in 2012 and 2018, and Liverpool were runners-up in 2014, 2019 and 2022, although The Telegraphalso mention the possibility that the championships in question may not be reallocated at all. The newspaper points to Italy, where the 2005 Serie A title remained vacant after the Calciopoli scandal.
Renewed significance has also attached itself to an old statement by former City manager Pep Guardiola because of the verdict. "I will not let my future depend on whether we play in the Premier League or League One," the coach said in November 2023 about the possible consequences. The Telegraphpoint out that Guardiola has since returned to Barcelona and suggest that playing in the third tier may yet prove to be one of City's smaller problems.
Other Premier League clubs are now weighing up the consequences of the verdict. According to The Times, several clubs had already instructed leading lawyers to investigate whether they are entitled to compensation, for example because they missed out on Champions League income or sponsorship bonuses due to City's performances. A joint damages claim by several English clubs could therefore also be one of the possibilities.
City are expected to appeal, so the legal battle may still have some way to run. Even so, the tone in England after the verdict is harsher than ever: while a points deduction can already bring relegation, there is now even talk of expulsion from the Premier League and a drop across multiple divisions.
The Telegraphsum up the situation bluntly: "We are truly in unprecedented territory, and that calls for an unprecedented punishment."
