Following Everton’s recent FFP punishment, an unprecedented punishment in the Premier League, many football around the country and in the sporting world in general and wondering what might happen to Manchester City — or, in some cases, why something hasn’t happened already.
The Toffees saw a record 10-point deduction in the top-flight table as a result of breaking UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations following a league-wide audit of the clubs’ records for the 2021/22 season, in which they were found to have breached profit and sustainability rules.
Everton are said to have posted losses of nearly £372 million over a three-year period — a whole £250m more than is permitted within the league guidelines — and while they are obviously appealing the case based on various mitigating factors, it has placed one big elephant back in the room: Man City.
Burnley, Leeds, Leicester and Southampton, who were all relegated in recent seasons, could also be set to sue the Merseyside club for suffering as a result of their infringements, but with the Blues’ mammoth list of charges still looming large, it begs the question why hasn’t their case been dealt with first?
🚨 BREAKING: Everton handed 10-point penalty after independent commission hearing on alleged breach of Premier League profit & sustainability rules. Punishment applies immediately so #EFC drop into relegation zone for now. Expected to appeal @TheAthleticFChttps://t.co/1RqDpFYCpJ
Everton’s points deduction likely doesn’t spell good news for City.
While the storm might be circling around Goodison Park at present, with Everton now on just four points and second from bottom as we approach Christmas, the City Football Group (CFG) still has 115 charges said to span nearly a decade to their name and little action has been taken.
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Having been flagged for breaches back in February, a month before Everton’s finances were first referred to an independent commission, not to mention Manchester United having been swiftly fined for a minor FFP breach of their own, there does seem to be an issue with parity.
It’s also worth reminding that City were already punished by UEFA back in 2020, being slapped with a €30m fine and a two-year ban from the Champions League, only for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to overturn the decision.
The news has also drummed up talk of the failed Super League and how the clubs involved merely got a bit of a telling-off.
Well, the short answer is that Manchester City and the CFG haven’t been found guilty of anything, at least not yet. Whatever punishment they may or may not receive remains unknown as the investigation into their litany of charges is still ongoing and will likely take some time to reach its conclusion.
After all, compared to examining some bookkeeping discrepancies across three years, we’re talking about more than 100 different charges over the course of nine years and, for context, the last investigation (of which they were cleared) took around four years.
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With that in mind, when taking into account the equally lengthy appeal processes that will be involved as well, as the club has insisted they are not guilty of the various UEFA breaches they are accused of, you can expect this case to rumble on for a quite while longer.
Moreover, if they are indeed found guilty, the process of going about punishment will prove to be even more complicated as how do you possibly go about deciding on a fair outcome and adequate compensation for other teams affected over such a lengthy period?
Before Everton’s points deduction, co-hosts Lineker and Shearer also had a lengthy discussion about FFP and the implications for City.
Sporting Intelligence journalist and football finance expert, Nick Harris, recently gave a lengthy explanation on The Rest is Football podcast, insisting that “there is just so much work that needed to be done to get to the point of charging them.”
Harris went on to add that “the other reason it has taken so long is because Man City have done what they can to stifle the process.
“In 2021 we were investigating what was happening with this case and, eventually, as a journalist I was able to get access to the high court and be able to report the process was ongoing when neither the Premier League nor Manchester City wanted it to be reported.
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“What that told us was that Man City were using every legal tool they could to draw this out as long as possible and even since they were charged in February; they for example have challenged the legitimacy of the Premier League even to act against them which in itself is taking months to even get to the point where a commission will sit down and look at the evidence.”
So, the fact of the matter is that regardless of frustration amongst rival fans, neutrals and Toffees supporters, in particular, it looks like this already long, drawn-out case will very much be a waiting game.
Whether Everton’s points deduction is just a small taster of what’s to come for City remains to be seen but it seems hard to imagine the club possibly walking away with a slap on the wrist like last time.
When the news first began circulating, we broke down what the possible repercussions could be but, if found guilty, what do you think would be a fitting punishment?
Road to Victory is all set to turn Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl into the latest World Cup fan zone
Danny Jones
Manchester’s smash-hit Road to Victory is hoping to bring its first-ever open-air World Cup fan zone to the city, as the event is set to take over Castlefield Bowl – on one condition.
It’s just the simple matter of if/when* we make it through.
The famous amphitheatre might be in the middle of their 2026 edition of the annual Sounds of the City festival, but given that England have advanced to the quarter-finals of the 2026 tournament, they’ve naturally decided to make some changes.
It might not be in time for this next game against Norway, but should we make it past the Scandinavian side, Castlefield Bowl will be welcoming roughly 9,000 fans for the semis and (touch wood) the final.
Announced this week, the Road to Victory (RtV) team – backed by production company and promoters AIX Live, who specialise in multi-sensory, immersive fan experiences – is pledging to move into their latest Manc venue for the upcoming fixture at the very least.
Having started over at Depot Mayfield before moving to the likes of Diecast and most recently AO Arena, they’re planning to make the most of the ongoing heatwave by securing the beloved Bowl.
With the Manchester Storm ice hockey team returning to the Arena, they’ve had to vacate ahead of preparations, but it could mean that we’re now looking at one of the biggest outdoor supporter parks in the country, let alone the North West.
Once again, we’ve already had The K’s, Wet Leg and Johnny Marr play the multi-date music series this year, and there are more concerts booked, but some understandable exceptions are now being made.
Obviously, how many Road to Victory dates we get here all depends on whether or not Thomas Tuchel’s side make it past Haaland and co., but it’s sure to be a memorable night nonetheless.
Should the boys make it to the semi-final, tickets for the supporter park right after the match and, unsurprisingly, the demand is expected to be huge. For context, more than 40,000 joined the party for the 2022 World Cup, and the previous Euros final in 2024 sold out the AO Arena. Wow.
With that in mind, we’d say be quick on the draw and get down early with doors from 5pm, as the Road to Victory pre-show will kick things off pronto, alongside live DJs, entertainment and bars – all of which promise to deliver an unparalleled festival-like matchday atmosphere.
You can get ready to register your interest and grab yours as soon as they go on sale right HERE; in the meantime, if you’re still wondering where the best places to watch England vs Norway in Manchester are, look no further:
Featured Images — Anthony Mooney (supplied via Road to Victory)/The Manc Group
Sport
Location for new Manchester United stadium announced after club secures land for the build
Danny Jones
The location for Manchester United’s brand-new stadium has been officially revealed just over a fortnight on from the football club securing the land after more than a year of disputes.
Man United’s ‘New Trafford’ is set to be a state-of-the-art sporting ground with a roughly 100,000-seater capacity, not only becoming the largest in the UK but rivalling all other industry-leading arenas around the world.
While there’s been plenty of speculation about funding for the redevelopment, the proposed designs, and the aforementioned plot for the massive project, serious forward momentum can finally begin now that the latter has been resolved.
That being said, the INEOS ownership group, board of executives and partnered Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) have now confirmed where exactly the site for Old Trafford 2.0 will be situated, not to mention some new CGIs.
Put in the simplest terms, the work will be centred around the Wharfside area, with the native council and Freightliner both having, at long last, greenlit the plans in principle.
The Old Trafford Regeneration Mayoral Development Corporation (OTRMDC) and dedicated Taskforce – on which Mayor and seemingly soon-to-be Prime Minister Andy Burnham has served since its inception – are set to create a fresh ‘Stadium District’ across the 150 hectares of space in Stretford.
Revolving not only around the current Metrolink tram stop and other accessible Bee Network routes, but sitting approximately just 350 metres North of the existing ‘Theatre of Dreams’, the blueprints go far beyond just creating newer and bigger stands that are easily reachable.
As per an official MUFC statement, “the vision is for a diverse neighbourhood creating 48,000 local jobs and 15,000 new homes, with the new stadium as the catalyst. Together, the mixed-use developments across 150 hectares have the potential to offer a £7.3bn-per-annum boost to the UK economy.”
Promising to maintain key aspects of nearby heritage, traditions and matchday rituals, be a walk from Pomona to a favourite food truck, or supporters making their way down the Quays and the River Irwell, they’ve even put together a video of what they hope this next chapter for Trafford will look like.
Safe to say, the GMCA, United and everyone involved have pretty ambitious ideas when it comes to a fresh era for the borough and the surrounding section of Stretford and bordering Salford.
Local Council Leader Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, said of this most recent update: “We are delighted to introduce the masterplan which starts a long journey to piece together what could happen where, to bring this world-class cultural and sporting destination to life.
“We want to create a great place to be, not just on matchdays but every day – and we’re looking for as many residents and businesses as possible to help us to shape this vision, through our forthcoming consultation process.
“Wharfside will become a network of attractive neighbourhoods in which to live, work, wander, explore, relax with family, enjoy nature and wildlife, meet friends, eat out, have a drink, shop and be entertained.”
He goes on to add that besides the obvious additions to the matchday experience, this will effectively become the city region’s latest neighbourhood, delivering new parks and waterside spaces, housing including affordable options, and even new health and educational facilities.
Twinned with the obvious transport links and proximity to other key parts of Greater Manchester, this could be one of the biggest overhauls the North West has seen in decades; you can see more down below. What do you make of it all?
Our proposed new home will sit at the heart of a new stadium district ❤️🏟️
Danny Jones -
20th November 2023 
