Kieran Maguire warns Manchester City could face £50‑60m fine and massive points loss

Football finance specialist Kieran Maguire has warned that Manchester City could receive two severe punishments after the Premier League found the club guilty of almost every Financial Fair Play charge. He told that the precedent‑setting sanctions may include a fine of between £50m and £60m and a points deduction that could total fifty to sixty points.

Guilty verdict and appeal

Earlier this week the Premier League confirmed Manchester City had been found guilty on nearly all accusations of breaching its FFP rules. The club has already lodged an appeal, but Maguire suggests the appeal may be doomed from the start because the breaches are extensive.

Potential fines and points penalties

Maguire compared the situation with Chelsea’s recent fines of around £20m from the Football Association and the Premier League, noting that Manchester City’s penalties are likely to be far larger. He estimated a total financial hit of £50m‑£60m, plus a substantial additional fine.

Regarding points, Maguire cited the precedents set by Nottingham Forest, Everton and Leicester City, all of whom received deductions for breaching the Profit and Sustainability Regulations. He explained that Manchester City’s offences spanned several years, so the deduction could be multiplied.

He outlined a rough formula: an initial three‑point deduction, plus one extra point for every £6.5m over the limit, with an aggregating factor that could add further points. Using this method, Maguire reckoned the total could reach fifty to sixty points, which would effectively relegate the club if it exceeded seventy.

He added that such a deduction would leave Manchester City with a negative points total and only a handful of matches remaining, creating a scenario he described as “a Hollywood story” rather than a realistic outcome.

While the exact figures remain uncertain, Maguire’s gut reaction underscores the seriousness of the breaches and the likelihood that multiple sanctions will be imposed if the appeal fails.