Manchester City brace for Premier League verdict as titles hang

One Manchester City stalwart, former defender Manuel Akanji, opened up at the Etihad Stadium on the Premier League’s independent Commission verdict that found the club guilty of every breach of the competition’s financial rules, a charge covering more than 100 infractions over a nine‑year span.

Charges and appeal

The Commission concluded the Sky Blues broke Premier League Rules on more than 100 occasions between 2009 and 2018. Manchester City have lodged an appeal, but uncertainty still hangs over Eastlands as the club awaits the final decision. The nine‑year period of alleged breaches underscores the depth of the investigation.

Richard Masters, chief executive of the Premier League, warned that “the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade” and stressed the league’s duty to protect the competition’s integrity.

Potential punishments

While some have suggested relegation or transfer bans, the club could also be stripped of its trophies. Masters added that the league must ensure the Rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld.

The club has been found guilty of 114 separate breaches, opening the door to fines, points deductions, expulsion from the Premier League and even removal of the Abu Dhabi ownership. Support among other Premier League clubs is growing for such extreme sanctions, and the English Football League is expected to deny City entry into the Championship, League One or League Two, echoing earlier claims by Ben Jacobs.

Akanji’s concerns and wider fallout

Akanji, 31, who joined Pep Guardiola’s side in 2022, recalled winning two Premier League championships, two FA Cups and a Champions League. “I’m still in touch with a few players, but I don’t know any more than you do,” he told Nau, adding that he was told to stay calm and that “I hope I don’t lose my titles. That would be a bit of a shame. I could miss my medals.”

He noted the alleged breaches span 2009‑2018, meaning he may escape having his honours stripped while many former teammates could lose theirs. The situation also affects his new club Inter Milan, who felt the charges after losing the 2023 Champions League final. City travel to Liverpool this weekend when Premier League action resumes after the international break, but a scenario of being relegated to the National League and losing the Abu Dhabi backing could see the club out of the top flight for decades.