Manchester City charges: How much did their rule breaking cost your team?

BBC Sport analyzes the potential financial impact of Manchester City's alleged rule-breaking between 2009 and 2018. The report examines how inflated sponsorship revenues may have unfairly disadvantaged other Premier League clubs regarding prize money and competition qualification.
Why it matters
This investigation highlights the integrity of professional sports leagues and the long-term financial consequences of regulatory breaches on competitive balance.
Figure caption, BBC Sport's Dale Johnson, Dan Roan, Laura Scott and Sami Mokbel assess Manchester City's position
Football issues correspondent Published 13 October 2026, 09:12 BST Imagine a world where Manchester City had not used "sham contracts" to build a team capable of winning three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three EFL Cups.
If City were the winners, then there had to be losers.
Not just those teams who finished runners-up or lost cup finals.
The potential impact runs much deeper and includes missed Champions League qualification, relegation and Premier League prize money.
Thirty-five other teams played in the English top flight between 2009 and 2018.
And every one could in some way claim to have been left financially out of pocket.
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