Manchester City are facing the prospect of spending the next two years in The Championship as the Premier League prepares to throw the rule book at them.
Enzo Maresca’s side have made a flawless start to the new domestic season and toasted a record seventh straight win under their new head coach on Saturday.
City’s impressive run of victories has come amid a backdrop of uncertainty after they were found guilty last month of over 100 charges in relation to breaches of financial rules.
An appeal has already been lodged and City maintain they will prove their innocence once they present what they claim to be ‘irrefutable proof’ in front of the independent pannel.
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The Premier League, according to the Daily Mail, however, are set to preempt the result of the appeal by handing down a severe punishment for the offences committed over a near 10-year period between 2009 and 2018.
Maresca’s side will reportedly earn a points deduction so significant that it will guarantee their demotion to the second tier of English football for the first time since 2001.
A weighty fine is also anticipated, while it is also claimed that City could begin the 2027/28 season with a points penalty that would severely limit their chances of earning an instant return to the Premier League.
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The EFL would need to ratify that punishment but it is not thought, at this stage, that they would seek to limit City’s handicap.
Given the chaos it would cause, City will not instantly be kicked out of the Premier League and would have to complete their remaining fixtures, no matter how futile.
Nor are City likely to face the ultimate ignominy of beginning next season at the bottom of the football pyramid in League Two.
City’s immediate focus, meanwhile, centres on tomorrow night’s Champions League game against AEK Athens, ahead of which Enzo Maresca confirmed Antoine Semenyo would miss the next two months with a knee injury.
Manchester City allegations timeline
November 2018: German newspaper Der Spiegel publish claims Manchester City have breached FFP rules
March 2019: UEFA launch investigation into the claims
May 2019: Manchester City launch an appeal against the investigation
November 2019: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rules the appeal as inadmissible
February 2020: Manchester City are handed a two-year ban from European competition and a €30m fine by UEFA
July 2020: The ban is overturned after the club appeal to CAS
April 2022: Der Spiegel report the Premier League has been investigating Manchester City for three years
February 2023: The Premier League charges the club with 115 breaches of its financial rules
September 2024: Start of a 10-week hearing between the Premier League and Manchester City
September 2026: Reports emerge that Manchester City have been found guilty on all but one of the 115 financial rules the club are accused of breaking
The Ghana international suffered the problem in the latter stages of Saturday’s Premier League victory over Ipswich, having only entered the game as a 77th-minute substitute.
Maresca admitted the club were actually relieved the problem was not more serious, with the issue proving to be collateral damage around the knee rather than a major ligament rupture.
City boss Maresca said: ‘In the first moment we expected an even worse injury, so we were more worried, but after the scan we feel much better.
‘It is not so big like we expected. It could be eight weeks. Now the most important thing is to recover it.
‘When he is back, probably around December, we will have a new player.’