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It's possible Man City are given a huge points deduction if they are found guilty of breaching FFP rules between 2009 and 2018, with Arsenal and Tottenham watching on
Man City could face a hefty points deduction if they are found to have breached the Premier League's Financial Fair Play rules - and it could have a huge impact on both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
City allegedly breached the FFP rules more than 100 times between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, with 115 charges brought against the club by the league in 2023. A hearing into the charges took place at the end of 2024 and a ruling could come any day now. City deny the charges against them.
One of the possible punishments Pep Guardiola's side face if they are found guilty of the alleged breaches is a points deduction, with football finance specialist Kieran Maguire stating earlier this year that a points deduction could be in the 40 to 60 point range.
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Speaking on The Overlap in February, Maguire said: "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.
"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.”
If City are found guilty of the alleged breaches in the coming days or weeks, it is possible they are given a points deduction to come into effect immediately. This is what happened to Nottingham Forest in March 2024 and Everton in November 2023.
If this is the case, this would impact both the title race and the battle for relegation. City are currently nine points behind leaders Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, but do have a game in hand and will face the Gunners at Etihad Stadium in April. It's possible the gap between the two teams is cut to three points if City were to win those two games.
But if Guardiola's side are handed a points deduction, this would end their title challenge and Arsenal would most probably run away with the league, with third place Manchester United 15 points behind the north Londoners.
Depending on the severity of the points deduction, it could also have an impact on Tottenham and their chances of staying in the Premier League. Spurs are currently 17th with 30 points, just one point above the relegation zone.
With City on 61 points, if they are handed a points deduction of 40 points, they would slip to 18th and push West Ham out of the bottom three, with Spurs moving up to 16th. A points deduction of 60 points, as per Maguire's opinion, would leave City on one point and at the bottom of the English top flight.
Arsenal and Tottenham have just seven games of the league season to play but where they finish could seriously be impacted by any judgement on Man City's 115 FFP charges case. The wait continues, but perhaps now with just more invested parties than ever before.
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