'Unprecedented crisis': Manchester City faces potential stripping of numerous trophies, historic guilty verdict... Could a decade-long football history be completely overturned?

*This content was translated by AI.

'This is an unprecedented crisis.' Manchester City, which has dominated the English Premier League (EPL), has been found guilty of violating Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations and now faces the prospect of having a large number of trophies won over the past decade stripped away.

British media outlet 'BBC' reported on the 27th (Korean time): "One of the most heated issues in the Manchester City case is whether the eight trophies won during the period from 2009 to 2018, when regulations were violated, should be stripped." The report added: "Rival club fans are strongly demanding trophy stripping. However, within the EPL office and individual clubs, there is not much demand for past title removals."

However, the media noted that "the final disciplinary measures will be determined at a sanctions hearing by an independent disciplinary committee, which has yet to convene." It further stated: "While point deductions, massive fines, or even expulsion from the EPL are more frequently discussed, the possibility of stripping past titles cannot be entirely ruled out depending on the discretion of the independent committee."

Earlier, sports specialist media outlet 'The Athletic' reported on the 26th that the EPL Independent Judicial Panel had found Manchester City guilty of 114 out of 115 charges brought against them. This decision came after a two-and-a-half-year process: investigation began in 2019, formal charges were filed in 2023, and a 12-week hearing concluded at the end of 2024.

According to local reports, the committee found Manchester City guilty on most key items, including failure to provide accurate financial information (54 cases), omission of detailed player and manager salary records (14 cases), violations of Profitability and Sustainability Regulations (PSR) (7 cases), breaches of UEFA regulations (5 cases), and non-cooperation with investigations (35 cases).

As a result, the question of whether to strip Manchester City's championship records from the period in question has come under scrutiny. While the EPL rulebook does not explicitly mention trophy stripping, there remains a possibility of retroactively canceling titles.

There is also a possibility that the entire history of the EPL could be rewritten. If Manchester City loses its titles, Manchester United (2011–2012 and 2017–2018) and Liverpool (2013–2014) would inherit the league championship trophies. Former manager José Mourinho once publicly argued that he should have been awarded the trophy and bonus for leading Manchester United to second place behind Manchester City in the 2017–2018 season.

The same applies to cup competitions. In the FA Cup, Stoke City (2010–2011) would inherit the title; in the EFL Cup, Sunderland (2013–2014), Liverpool (2015–2016), and Arsenal (2017–2018) would be the successors. For the Community Shield, Chelsea (2012–2013) would take over.

It is not without precedent for past championship records to be canceled in football. Italian club Juventus had both its 2004–2005 and 2005–2006 Serie A titles stripped due to the Calciopoli referee-bribery scandal in 2006. At that time, the first title was left vacant, while the second was awarded to second-place Inter Milan.

A more realistic issue than trophy stripping is the wave of lawsuits from rival clubs. According to 'The Athletic', there is a clear precedent: Bournemouth won a damages judgment of 26 million pounds (approximately 46 billion won) in a lawsuit claiming it suffered relegation due to Everton's PSR violations. It is reported that multiple clubs, including Manchester United and Liverpool, are preparing collective lawsuits seeking compensation for lost league prize money and billions of won in revenue losses due to being denied Champions League qualification as a result of Manchester City's misconduct.

Manchester City has consistently denied all charges since the early stages of the investigation and plans to appeal immediately this time as well. However, with an unprecedented guilty verdict handed down, the final disciplinary outcome could plunge English football into a massive whirlwind.

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*This content was translated by AI.