EXCLUSIVE: Premier League ready to ‘destroy’ Man City after 114 charges

5 Oct 2026 07:00 BST 2 min read

Erling Haaland, Man City, Transfers Podcast — © IMAGO

Robin Bairner | Chief Editor

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Manchester City have been warned that the Premier League are ready to ‘destroy’ the club after being found guilty of 114 of 115 charges levelled against them.

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Following a lengthy investigation, the eight-time Premier League champions face the prospect of an unprecedented penalty following the findings of an independent commission – despite the club’s ongoing insistence that they are innocent.

Duncan Castles, who was speaking to Nick Harris on The Transfers Podcast in conjunction with FootballTransfers, has revealed the Premier League likely sees this as a unique opportunity to send a message to any teams seeking to flout their rules – and that spells ominous news for City.

The respected journalist explained: “I see this as an opportunity for the Premier League, and why an opportunity?

“They cannot, in normal circumstances, investigate each club’s actions behind the scenes.

“Yes, they get to see their accounts. Yes, they get to see player contracts and manager contracts, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But if a club chooses to do what Manchester City have been found guilty of doing, the Premier League cannot know that unless they make a mistake.

“Or someone like Rui Pinto comes along, gets documentary evidence and puts that in the public domain, it gets investigated, it gets prosecuted.

“So we know it can happen now. We know the Premier League can never have the kind of investigative authority to stop it from happening themselves on a regular basis. Therefore, when you find the club guilty, you set down a message.

“Anyone who tries anything like this again, if you get caught, we will destroy you.”

© IMAGO - Pep Guardiola left Man City in the summer

Premier League ready to ‘kick Man City out’ – and the Football League doesn’t want them

In real terms, this could amount to an immense punishment for City.

“What is interesting for me is a discussion I had with someone who's, let's say, been intimately involved at the Premier League since its initiation, and asked him what he thought would happen,” Castles said.

“And the guidance he gave me was, if City do not change their tack, if Abu Dhabi don't change their tack, admit guilt and come to some compromise with the Premier League, the way the Premier League are looking at this, at the present is that they will be kicked out of the division.

“They would then have to apply for membership of the Football League. And his guidance was that the Football League would not grant them admission at present.”

City's problems, then, may only just be beginning.