Football finance experts name how many points Man City will have to be deducted in the “trial of the century” – and warn of impending relegation if they are found guilty on 115 counts

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes Manchester City could face a deduction of up to 100 points if the club is found guilty of financial irregularities.

The perennial champions are defending themselves against 115 alleged breaches of financial rules spanning nine years since 2009. The most severe punishment for a guilty verdict is relegation. Points deductions and fines are also possible penalties.

The league accused City of failing to provide accurate financial information and details of payments to players and managers.

The investigation was triggered by the publication of Football Leaks documents by Der Spiegel in 2018. City is accused of having funneled money from the club’s owners through sponsors in the United Arab Emirates.

The two parties will now finally face trial, with the trial set to begin on Monday, and Maguire expects City to face a heavy points deduction if they are found guilty on all counts.

City is accused of violating 115 Premier League financial rules since 2009

The most severe penalty for a guilty verdict is relegation. Points deductions and fines are also possible penalties.

“If all 115 charges are proven, they will face a significant points deduction,” he told talkSPORT.

“Then you could assume that the point deduction would be somewhere between 60 and 100 points because you would assume that the club has suffered so much that it is eliminated from the league.”

The independent hearing is expected to last about two months, with a verdict reportedly not expected until spring 2025 at the earliest.

Maguire added: “Although the hearing will be over in eight weeks, if we can present all the evidence to the commission, it will probably take them three to four months because they will have to decide on each of the 115 charges individually.”

“If they are guilty of all these offences, it must be so serious that any club considering going down that path again will realise that it would be extremely detrimental to their future.”

On Friday, City boss Pep Guardiola stressed that the club was ready to learn its fate and said he was happy that the case had finally come to trial.

“It will happen and we will accept the verdict. I’m glad it starts on Monday and we’ll see,” he said. “I know what people are looking for, I know what they expect, but everyone is innocent until proven guilty.”

The trial into the alleged violations begins on Monday. Pictured: Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak (right) and CEO Ferran Soriano (left)

His comments came just hours after LaLiga president Javier Tebas claimed that Premier League clubs are secretly waiting for City to be punished. Tebas has been a vocal critic of City and its spending model for years.

“I have spoken to many Premier League clubs and most of them understand that City should be sanctioned,” he is quoted as saying by Mundo Deportivo.

He added that they were once acquitted by the CAS [Court of Arbitration for Sport] for formal reasons”, thereby suggesting that the lifting of the UEFA ban was merely a formality.

Javier Tebas also commented on the Premier League, saying: “This year they pulled themselves together and took points.”