Man City '40 to 60' points deduction claim made as Arsenal watch on in title race

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has spoken about Manchester City's 115 charges case with the Premier League as the club awaits a verdict

Football finance specialist Kieran Maguire has indicated that Manchester City could be facing a points sanction ranging from 40 to 60 points should they be found guilty of numerous infractions in their 115-charge hearing. The club stands accused of 115 breaches of financial rules spanning 2009 to 2018 - claims City have consistently refuted.

The magnitude of the case surrounding Arsenal's Premier League title rivals has generated significant scrutiny, with many contending that any established misconduct warrants points penalties or potentially even demotion. Yet nearly two years later, a final decision remains outstanding.

Speaking on the most recent instalment of The Overlap, Maguire suggested City's potential sanction could eclipse those imposed upon Nottingham Forest and Everton during 2024.

"The Premier League cannot relegate Manchester City to League One or League Two because that is an EFL decision and Manchester City have not had any charges proven against them by the EFL," Maguire explained.

"Therefore, it has to be a points deduction. If we take a look at precedence, we have had Everton and Nottingham Forest with six and four-point deductions for a single offence covering a three-year period. The accusations against Manchester City cover a nine-year period, so it is far bigger.

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"The numbers involved we are not certain about but they are likely to be quite significant. I think you have to add a zero to what we've seen in terms of Forest and Everton, so somewhere between a 40 and 60-point deduction would be, on merit to be consistent with what we've seen with other decisions, would make a lot of logic.

Maguire continued: "If they want to go further then we don't know the severity. In the case of both Forest and Everton, they were to do with FFP purely. The accusations against Manchester City have already been hinted at, which is why it is taking so long.

"If you take a look at what happened with Juventus in Serie A, the board had to resign when they were claiming things about player wages which were proven to be untrue.

"There is an honesty issue here that would mean if Manchester City are found guilty - City are massively confident, as are the Premier League - then the board has to go and that could be a complete restructure of the club."

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