The international break was supposed to offer a pause. Instead, Manchester City return to a Premier League campaign that could be turned on its head within days. The club has been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges it faced, and the fallout is only just beginning.
The charges centred on a failure to properly disclose finances, along with discrepancies over who was being paid what and why. Throughout the investigation, the ownership group, Abu Dhabi United Group, refused to cooperate fully. Led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the group’s stance has done little to ease the club’s path.
Now comes the reckoning. The next step is deciding the punishment, and a hefty fine is almost a certainty. But the real fear is sporting sanctions. The Premier League could deduct points—30 is being mentioned—and that would have immediate consequences. City currently sit on 15 points from five games, three clear at the top. A 30-point deduction would plunge them to -15. Even a smaller deduction would leave them fighting uphill.
Relegation, once unthinkable, is now a genuine possibility. The club could be relegated even without a points deduction if the league expels them from the pyramid entirely, forcing them to reapply. That would be the worst-case scenario, and it could unfold after the international break.
Previously won titles are not expected to be stripped initially. The punishment is expected to have immediate effects, not retroactive ones. But other clubs could sue to have those titles taken away. That process would take time, though, and would drag the saga out even further.
For now, City fans can only wait. The next few days could define the club’s future.