“Manchester City have spent much of the last decade dominating the Premier League but for the last three and a half years there has been a very different battle to fight. City, English football’s champions in six of the last nine seasons, were charged with over 100 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules in February 2023, leaving the legacy of Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team under a cloud, even as a new era is beginning under Enzo Maresca. On Friday, it emerged that Manchester City had been found guilty of virtually all of the 115 charges, according to sources briefed on the matter who spoke anonymously as they were not authorised to do so publicly. City are yet to be sanctioned and, at this stage, both financial and sporting sanctions remain on the table. City are almost certain to appeal the verdict, a process that could take several months. …”
NYT/ATH (Video)

The age of asterisk: Manchester City’s glittering era of success is tainted now “Welcome, then, to the age of asterisk. Whatever punishment Manchester Cityand their owners receive at the end of this process, the fact remains, everything is tainted now. Overturn the tables, scatter the gold coins. Throw your medals in the bin. You cheated to win them. Whatever that thing was, it’s done. Stolen glory, stolen income, stolen joy. Every chant, every “we won the lot”, every awkward documentary scene about the deep, throbbing heart of this empire of love. It all looks odd, sinister, cold, sloppy, but also, and this is always the best response, utterly absurd. This is not over of course. We still work on the principle of innocent until repeatedly proven guilty, pending mega-bucks final appeals. There could yet be a dramatic reversal at the next stage. …”
Guardian

Relegation? Titles stripped? Appeals? What next for Man City  “It has taken more than two years, but a judgement finally appears to have been reached on the 115 charges levelled against Manchester City over breaches of Premier League financial rules. … We are not at the end of this process, however. Far from it. But what does this mean for City’s titles? What about their Premier League status? Will there be an appeal? And how long will it be before this saga does come to an end? …”
BBC (Video)