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After a long, long wait, Liverpool and the rest of the Premier League could finally be about to learn the outcome of the case into Manchester City's 115 charges of alleged financial breaches.
Although the hearing, which began on September 16, 2024, concluded all the way back in December, no verdict has been made public in the subsequent months. According to The Independent though, the wait could be about to end, with senior Premier League officials anticipating a verdict to emerge at some stage this month.
The implications of the outcome are guaranteed to be seismic for the Premier League, whatever they happen to be, innocent or guilty.
City has won six of the last eight league titles. It became the first club to win the English top flight for four successive seasons in 2023/24, yet that unparalleled success might be rendered a sham if the club is found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules over a nine-year period which began in 2009.
Although the case has long been concluded, it has been a long wait for any sort of verdict or punishment to be handed down. It was anticipated that the initial verdict could take months to arrive, with deliberations expected to be lengthy, and any appeal would likely prolong matters.
But what are the implications from the potential punishments from a Liverpool perspective? After all, if City is deemed to have cheated, the Reds will have more reason than any other club to feel aggrieved.
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The Reds finished second by one point behind Pep Guardiola’s side in 2018/29 and 2021/22. Other teams have been runners-up in recent years but not by so narrow a margin. Here’s a look at the three likeliest punishments if a guilty verdict is passed and how they would affect Liverpool.
A fine
This would be the outcome likeliest to bring the whole sorry saga to the swiftest possible conclusion. Given the money at its disposal, it's reasonable to assume that City would simply pay its bill and move on. Assuming this would have no impact upon the finances of the club and how it would be run, this would make no difference to the Reds.
Points deduction
To many, this would be the obvious punishment. Everton and Nottingham Forest were docked eight and four points in total respectively during the 2023/24 season after breaching profit and sustainability rules.
We are of course still in the very early stages of the 2025/26 season, with City currently three points off leaders Arsenal and two behind second-placed Liverpool. Any sort of points deduction could take them out of the running for the title, and depending on the size of the punishment, may even put it in danger of relegation. Speaking of which...
Relegation
The big one, the most severe punishment. This would obviously improve Liverpool’s hopes of winning the title this season and beyond.
But it would have a wider impact. City’s star players are unlikely to want to spend a season outside the Champions League, much less embrace slumming it in the Championship for 46 games. A full-on fire sale might feel unlikely but their squad would likely be decimated, although Guardiola is under contract until 2027.
Everyone connected with Liverpool will be waiting for the verdict with great interest. The outcome could shake up the whole football world though.
An original version of this article was first published on September 12. It has been updated following The Independent's report.
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