Man City statement about to be tested as Liverpool watch on after 100-point deduction claim

Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City
-Credit: (Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)


It speaks to the perverse nature of modern football that the biggest battle of the Premier League season will not be contested on the pitch, but rather the confines of a London courtroom. Even more grotesque is that the details will be scarce and opaque, official updates will be shrouded in secrecy and supporters won't have answers for months. Welcome to the Premier League in 2024.

While football fans across the country are eagerly anticipating the return of domestic action after a two-week international break, it is events on Monday that will begin to really shape the top-flight campaign ahead, when Manchester City's day with destiny sees them dragged into court over the 115 charges that relate to financial offences.

From arguments concerning Yaya Toure's image rights, fees paid to Roberto Mancini and the alleged inflation of sponsorship deals, City are finally having their day in court after years of insisting on their innocence outside it.

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City, of course, have always denied the 115 charges at their door and while Pep Guardiola's Friday claim that the case is not being spoken about around the club came off as insincere, the Catalan was at least correct in his assertion that his employers are innocent until proven guilty.

"I'm happy it starts on Monday and there will be more rumours and we're going to see," Guardiola said on Friday. "I know what people are looking for because I have read it for many years but I've said everyone is innocent until guilt is proven."

The charges relate to a nine-year period between 2009 and 2018, and are largely outside of an era that saw Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool go toe-to-toe with the current champions for the Premier League title during 2019-2024.

The 2014 race, won by Manuel Pellegrini's City, and the 2016 Carabao Cup final, lost by the Reds on penalties, both fall in the timeframe that is under question, however.

Quite what it all means for Liverpool in the long term is anyone's guess right now as the battle lines are drawn for something truly unprecedented. The case is set to last around two months with a verdict reportedly due to be given in the Spring of next year.

Speaking earlier this week, football finance expert, Kieran Maguire, claimed a monetary sanction would be a "waste of time" for a club who are one of the richest on the planet, insisting a dramatic points deduction could be awaiting on the other side of any guilty verdict.

"It can't be a financial punishment," Maguire argued. "That would make everybody think the whole thing was a waste of time. If you take a look at the hearing at both Everton and Nottingham Forest, the commissions both said this is a minor breach of the rules.

"If all 115 charges are proven, then you would imagine the points deduction would be somewhere in the region of 60-100 points on the basis that they would want the club to suffered enough to be heading out of the division."

Speculation surrounding any punishment is just that at present, though. Some may be more informed than others over the nuances of the case itself, but the unique nature of the allegations - and the recent points deductions for Everton and Nottingham Forest over Profit and Sustainability breaches - mean an accurate estimation, should City be found guilty, is difficult to come by.

Having lost out on the Premier League title to City in 2019 and 2022 under Klopp, however, Liverpool will be watching on with real intrigue as to what happens in the coming months. Is there even a bizarre outcome whereby they are anointed Premier League champions of 2014? Such surreal events cannot seriously be ruled out at this stage. In truth, not a lot can.

Arsenal will feel they have a similar right to have their finger on the pulse of developments from the courtroom also, having finished runners-up themselves in the last two terms, but having amassed points tallies of 97 and 92 in 2019 and 2022, when they were pipped to the crown on the final day by Guardiola and his players, Klopp and his staff will be justified in believing their already legendary tenure could be even more decorated and historic had it not been for the efforts of a club who are about to stand trial over 115 financial charges.

In a statement that outlined their surprise back in February, City argued: "The club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position. As such, we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all."

Just how "irrefutable" that evidence really is is about to be put to the test and you can be sure Liverpool will be watching on, intently. The outcome will have long lasting ramifications for English football, whatever the decision.