The mega-scandal tainting the Premier League: What punishment could Manchester City face?

It is being described as one of the biggest scandals in the history of English football, if not the greatest of all time. Manchester City, the defining powerhouse of the modern era who swept every major honour available following their Abu Dhabi takeover—including a historic treble—have been found guilty on over a hundred charges.

Centering on extensive financial breaches, an independent Premier League commission found Manchester City guilty on 114 of the 115 charges brought against them. Between 2009 and 2018, shortly after their Middle Eastern owners arrived at the club, City allegedly used disguised commercial contracts to artificially inflate revenues by roughly £900 million, severely distorting their financial records.

The Etihad outfit was also found guilty of obstructing the investigation and failing to cooperate with the Premier League throughout the nine-year probe. Manchester City continue to vehemently deny all accusations, maintaining their innocence across the board and intending to launch an appeal by the October 2 deadline.

According to British media reports, four Premier League rivals—Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur—have also lodged legal notices, reserving the right to seek substantial compensation for lost earnings over that nearly decade-long span.

Speaking exclusively to ŠPORT.sk, The Guardian's football news editor Ed Aarons confirmed that English football is witnessing a historic scandal that has dealt a massive blow to the Premier League's reputation.

"The verdict against Manchester City has sent shockwaves through English football," Aarons said of the scandal currently rocking European club football. "As Premier League chief executive Richard Masters noted when it was announced on Tuesday, it is the most significant decision in the competition's history and could lead to City receiving one of the harshest penalties ever seen."

"While they are expected to appeal and will continue to protest their innocence, what City have been found guilty of represents perhaps the most egregious breach of financial rules by any club in history. The independent commission found that City used 'bogus' sponsorship deals, allowing them to artificially inflate their revenues by an extra £900 million to spend on transfer fees and wages," Aarons explained.

"Yet all of this only came to light thanks to the documents published by Football Leaks. The potential damage to the Premier League brand is immense, and there is a clear appetite to ensure City face severe punishment, with relegation or even stripping them of titles on the table. Whatever happens next, this day will go down as one of the darkest in City's history," Aarons stated.

According to The Guardian writer, the magnitude of Manchester City's fraudulent revenue scheme draws clear comparisons to Italy's infamous Calciopoli scandal, which sent shockwaves through Serie A and brought down Juventus nearly two decades ago.

In that case, the Turin giants were relegated to Serie B with a nine-point penalty, stripped of two league titles, and excluded from the Champions League, while two leading club officials received lifetime bans from Italian football.

"Yes, City's case certainly ranks among the biggest scandals in English football and risks heavily discrediting the Premier League over the past 15 years, given City's dominance during that era. It also raises questions about the integrity of the current competition amid uncertainty over the sanction they will face. The comparison to Calciopoli is justified, although in this case it is clearly financial doping rather than attempting to bribe referees," Aarons noted.

While the Etihad hierarchy remain determined to take every step necessary to clear their name, the battle ahead will be grueling. To make matters more demanding, City's first fixture following the international break is a trip to a hostile Anfield to face Liverpool.

"It is very hard to see how City's reputation ever recovers from this, especially given the sheer outrage this scandal has provoked. Serious questions also hang over whether the Abu Dhabi ownership can retain control, although diplomatic relations between the UAE and the UK could still factor into how sanctions play out," Aarons reflected.

"As for the supporters, City players and staff can certainly expect a much frostier reception once domestic football resumes. Starting off against Liverpool at Anfield could set the tone for what they will face across the country in the coming months," the journalist added.

The football world is now waiting to see what sanction Manchester City will receive should their appeal fail and the legal efforts led by chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan fall short.

"It's difficult to predict because there is simply no precedent for rule-breaking on this scale. However, the prevailing view seems to be that City must pay with a points deduction severe enough to trigger relegation, while having past titles stripped also remains a possibility," Aarons explained.

"It is crucial to note, though, that this process could drag on for quite some time. City will undoubtedly appeal both the verdict and any eventual penalty, with the potential to escalate the matter to higher courts," The Guardian's Ed Aarons concluded exclusively for ŠPORT.sk.