Manchester City are still awaiting a verdict after the Premier League charged them with over 100 breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations by the Premier League.

The Blues were hit with unprecedented charges by the Premier League in February, accused of more than 100 breaches of competition rules that include nearly a decade of misrepresenting their finances to relevant authorities and failing to cooperate with an investigation into them. The club insists it has a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position”, and will be able to defend themselves at an independent tribunal but the complexity and scale of the case means it could take years before it is heard.

Everton were deducted 10 points on Friday after being found guilty of their own FFP breaches and the punishment, which has seen them drop from 14th place to the relegation zone, has led to increased speculation and discussion on the punishment City could face if found guilty.

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City are alleged to have breached league rules requiring provision “in utmost good faith” of “accurate financial information that gives a true and fair view of the club’s financial position”, while the Premier League says that the accurate financial information required related to “revenue (including sponsorship revenue), related parties and its operating costs”.

Other charges revolve around manager contracts (between seasons 2009/2010 and 2012/2013) as well as some player contracts and image rights between seasons 2010/2011 and 2015/2016 inclusive. Other sections relate to Premier League compliance on UEFA Financial Fair Play regulations (between seasons 2013/2014 and 2017/2018) and EPL profitability and sustainability breaches between seasons 2015/2016 and 2017/2018 inclusive.

City were banned from UEFA competitions for two years by European football’s governing body for alleged breaches of its FFP regulations in February 2020. However, the sanction was then overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July of the same year.

So what domestic punishments could be dished out to the club if these financial allegations are proven? Of course, the severity would depend entirely on which breaches were proven and, potentially, to what extent, but options can be covered by Premier League rule W.51 which relates to sanctioning powers available to the commission tasked with dealing with this process and follow up.

Under this guidance, sanctions range from a reprimand through to potential points deductions and – in worst-case scenarios – expulsion from the competition. Meanwhile, the commission have the power to conditionally sanction clubs based on defined actions being taken in accordance with a fixed time period.

Respondents also have a right to appeal if any allegations/charges are proven.