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No punishment has been announced, and Manchester City have appealed the findings while continuing to deny wrongdoing.
Liverpool fans during the Premier League match against Manchester City. (AP Photo)
It was expected.
Manchester City faced a hostile atmosphere at Anfield on Sunday, with Liverpool supporters branding the club “cheats” as the reigning English football giants returned to action following an independent commission’s guilty findings over more than 100 alleged financial rule breaches.
The ruling has cast a shadow over the Premier League, with potentially far-reaching consequences for City’s future in the competition. The commission concluded that the club and its Emirati owners had used “sham” arrangements to inflate revenue and suppress costs by more than £900 million ($1.2 billion) between 2009 and 2018.
Hours before the 1530GMT kick-off, Liverpool supporters gathered around the stadium, turning the surrounding streets into a display of opposition to City’s financial history. Market stalls selling football merchandise featured flags and scarves ridiculing the controversy.
Under police escort, the City team bus approached the ground along an alternative route to avoid the biggest crowds. Despite the intense reception, the arrival passed without a repeat of the disorder witnessed in 2018, when Liverpool supporters threw bottles at the visitors’ bus ahead of a Champions League encounter.
The financial breaches under investigation occurred during one of the most successful periods in City’s history, when the club secured three Premier League championships alongside several other major honours.
Rival supporters argue that the alleged financial misconduct helped establish the platform for City’s dominance under former manager Pep Guardiola, who departed at the end of last season.
Liverpool, led by Jurgen Klopp during much of that era, twice finished behind Guardiola’s side in the title race despite collecting more than 90 points in a season.
The possible consequences of the commission’s findings remain significant. City could face a substantial points deduction, expulsion from the Premier League or the removal of titles won during the period under scrutiny.
“There are so many moments and memories we can’t get back,” Liverpool fan Martin Reilly, 23, told AFP. “They have to throw the book at them.”
However, no punishment has been announced, and City have appealed the findings while continuing to deny wrongdoing.
For supporters of the Manchester club, the ongoing uncertainty has created a difficult situation.
“It’s difficult right now, there are a lot of questions. But you’ve got to back your club,” said City supporter Colin Bradshaw, a 22-year-old retail worker.
With the appeal process unresolved, the Premier League faces a prolonged period of uncertainty over the case and its possible implications for the competition’s standings and historical honours.
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola highlighted the difficulty of operating amid so many unanswered questions.
“I think the worst thing probably is the uncertainty, that no one knows what’s going to happen,” Iraola said on Friday.
‘No trust now’
Calls for severe punishment have grown among Liverpool supporters, with some insisting that anything less than the removal of City’s titles would undermine the credibility of the competition.
“I think they have to be stripped of the titles. Otherwise you send the wrong message to anyone in the future,” John Gibbons of Liverpool podcast The Anfield Wrap told AFP.
“There can’t be any trust now, certainly not if there’s not an admission of guilt. For me, I don’t see how Manchester City continue in the league.”
Despite the controversy surrounding the club, City have enjoyed an impressive start under Enzo Maresca, winning seven consecutive matches across all competitions.
The Premier League first announced its charges against City in February 2023. The club subsequently went on to achieve a historic treble, lifting the Champions League trophy for the first time while also winning the Premier League and FA Cup.
Attention now turns to whether the pressure surrounding the case will strengthen the team’s resolve or begin to affect performances on the pitch. Erling Haaland and his teammates must contend with growing scrutiny as the legal dispute continues.
Dom Farrell, author of Glory Days for the Waifs and Strays, which documents City’s journey from the third tier of English football to European champions, expects the Liverpool fixture to provide a particularly challenging test.
The hostility at Anfield could either intensify City’s determination or expose the difficulties of playing under mounting pressure.
“If they were to win against Liverpool and then beat an off-form Paris Saint-Germain (in the Champions League on Wednesday) you really get a siege mentality going.
“But there’s also a decent chance they get turned over and then it just starts to feel you’re in this sort of dead zone waiting for the verdict.”
With AFP Inputs
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Ask News18Liverpool supporters directed hostile chants at Manchester City following an independent commission’s guilty findings over more than 100 alleged financial rule breaches between 2009 and 2018. The commission concluded that the club used sham arrangements to inflate revenue and suppress costs by over £900 million.
Ask News18About the Author
Feroz Khan has been covering sports for over 12 years now and is currently working with Network18 as Principal Correspondent. He embarked on his journey in 2011 and has since acquired vast experience …Read More
October 11, 2026, 22:23 IST
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