Manchester City face a legal bill of up to £50m, with sanctions months away

Two days on from the verdict of 29 September, the bill is taking shape for Manchester City. The club was found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League: 80 breaches of the financial rules and 34 of 35 refusals to cooperate. According to the panel’s report cited by The Guardian, City’s revenue was inflated by around £900m over nine seasons, through sham contracts and owner funding kept off the books.

Everything from a fine to expulsion is on the table

No sanction has been quantified yet. The league’s rules allow for a fine, a transfer ban, a points deduction or outright expulsion. Rival clubs want more: several executives feel a single season in the Championship would not be enough, and Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool have reserved the right to sue.

The legal bill, then the appeal

The Premier League has spent more than £70m in legal fees on this case; the winning side usually recovers around 70% of its costs. Lawyers quoted by The Guardian put City’s share at up to £50m, a figure the commission will set after the appeal. The appeal must be lodged by Friday 2 October; Ferran Soriano has spoken of a “conspiracy theory” and the club rejects an “opinion” riddled with errors. Under the new rules the appeal has to be wrapped up within twelve weeks and a decision issued within thirty days, pointing to an outcome by the end of January 2027.

Klopp wants no handed-down title

Should titles be stripped, Jürgen Klopp wants none of them for Liverpool: “I don’t feel the need to celebrate,” he said, saluting the football City played under Guardiola. No rule guarantees that stripped titles go to the runners-up. The last scenario being watched across Europe is an exodus of stars in the event of relegation or a long Champions League absence. Erling Haaland is under contract until 2034, but Gvardiol, Enzo Fernández, Cherki and Elliott Anderson are already drawing glances, according to Foot Mercato.

For the bettor, two days after the verdict the only certainty is the guilt itself; the penalty depends on an appeal that has not been lodged yet. A price on a stripped title or on relegation is a bet on a commission, not on a pitch.