Manchester City’s financial case has led to plenty of questions about what could happen to the club’s past titles. One of the biggest is whether their Premier League titles could be taken away.
Manchester City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023 with 115 alleged breaches of financial rules. The charges cover the period between 2009 and 2018, and the possible punishments have been widely debated while the case has continued. The Athletic confirmed the charges were proven as guilty by an independent commission.
Could City actually lose their titles?
The Premier League handbook gives an independent commission broad powers when deciding any punishment. Rule W.51.7 says the commission can “impose upon the respondent any combination of the foregoing or such other penalty as it shall think fit”.
That wording means removing titles is not completely ruled out, although it would create another difficult question: which club, if any, should be recognised as champions?
The 2011-12 season would immediately come into focus. Manchester United finished level on points with City and missed out on the title on goal difference after Sergio Aguero’s famous late winner against QPR.
Liverpool also finished just two points behind City in 2013-14. United were runners-up again in 2017-18 under Jose Mourinho, although City finished 19 points clear that time.
Other possible punishments include a fine, a points deduction or, in the most serious scenario, relegation.
So, while the rules appear to leave room for titles to be removed, that would not automatically mean United, Liverpool or another club would simply be handed the championship. That part would depend on the commission’s final decision and the way any punishment is applied.
