Financial fraud may relegate Manchester City to third tier, Joos says

Manchester City’s future looks precarious as analyst Filip Joos warned that the club could be forced into the third tier after being found guilty of a £1 billion financial‑fair‑play breach, a scandal that also threatens to strip the side of its three league titles.

Financial Fair Play breach

Joos told the programme De Afspraak that City “took a loop with the rules around Financial Fair Play between 2009 and 2018”, using “schijncontracten, gesjoemel and other inflated constructions”. He added that the club’s “financial doping of 1 billion” was “400 million more than what Manchester United spent in the same period and five times as much as Liverpool and Arsenal”.

The analyst argued that the Premier League “was the best competition in the world because it was fairly balanced”, yet the alleged overspend allowed City to buy “the best players and coaches”. He questioned whether those players would have performed as well with weaker teammates.

During that decade City were crowned champions three times. Joos said, “What remains of those titles? Nothing. They must be declared forfeit.” He likened the situation to Lance Armstrong’s stripped Tour victories, noting that “the players might not have known” about the illicit financing.

Potential fallout

Vincent Kompany, who oversaw the club’s finances, was singled out by Joos: “He is so smart and ran the economics; could he not have suspected something?” The analyst repeated the question, emphasizing Kompany’s high regard.

City’s defence that “other clubs are in the same boat” was dismissed as “very weak”. Joos cited Chelsea’s heavy transfer ban as an example of a club that “co‑operated”, whereas City “has not, still not”.

Joos also highlighted the Abu Dhabi owner’s pledge of £30 billion for clean‑energy projects in the United Kingdom, warning that “you may invest, but you must not jump beyond the stick allowed by Financial Fair Play”.

He described the club’s trophy cabinet as a “Jenga tower”: “Remove the early‑year prize money and everything collapses.” The analyst concluded that the “most beautiful thing that could happen now is that those people are set aside”, urging fans to protest.

In a final, dramatic appeal Joos said, “Call Kevin De Bruyne and ask if he will finish his career in the third division, with Kompany as manager. It will never be more romantic than that.”

The programme’s overview listed Voetbal, Tennis, Formule, Jupiler Pro League, Challenger Pro League, Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, underscoring the breadth of the discussion.