Little Premier League appetite to strip Man City of titles, but risk not ruled out

According to BBC Sport, neither the Premier League as an organisation nor its member clubs are showing much enthusiasm for taking away the eight trophies Manchester City won between 2009 and 2018 — the period during which an independent panel found the club guilty of the majority of 115 charges linked to breaches of financial regulations.

A final decision on punishment has not yet been made, as it rests with an independent panel that still needs to hold a dedicated sanction hearing. This means stripping titles cannot be entirely ruled out, though analysts see a points deduction, a substantial fine, or even expulsion from the league as more likely outcomes.

Premier League rules do not explicitly mention title removal as a punishment, but they do allow a disciplinary panel to impose whatever penalty it considers appropriate. Clubs that finished as runners-up to City in the affected seasons include Manchester United (2011-12 and 2017-18) and Liverpool (2013-14) in the league, along with other clubs in domestic cup competitions.

There is precedent elsewhere in football and sport: Juventus had Serie A titles revoked following the Calciopoli scandal in Italy, and Scotland's Elgin City lost a Highland League title for fielding ineligible players. In cycling, Lance Armstrong was stripped of seven Tour de France titles over doping.

Experts point out that punishing financial rule breaches this way is more complicated than doping or match-fixing cases, since players and supporters who had no part in the wrongdoing could be affected. City midfielder Rodri has already dismissed the idea that stripping titles would diminish what the club achieved on the pitch.

More plausible than reallocating titles, sources suggest, is a wave of compensation claims from clubs that believe they lost out financially because of City's conduct — though lawyers warn this could open the door to an almost endless chain of claims from other affected parties.