Man City Found Guilty on 114 of 115 Charges, Appeal Lodged
Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of the 115 Premier League charges by an Independent Regulatory Commission. City have appealed, sanctions are unannounced, and Arsenal lead the table by six points as the title race carries an asterisk.
Manchester City have been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges the Premier League brought against them, an Independent Regulatory Commission ruled. The club has appealed, and the man city 115 charges case still has no announced sanctions.
Arsenal are among the clubs waiting for the next step. They are also leading the title race.
Sanctions still unannounced
The commission's decision has not yet been followed by a published punishment. Some reports claim point deductions are expected alongside other penalties. Others suggest clubs and fans will wait until early next year for the full outcome.
Financial reports have said City face Premier League sanctions next year if the appeal fails.
Clubs weigh legal action
The saga is not expected to end with the sanctions. Reports say Premier League clubs are planning legal action in response to the guilty verdict.
It is claimed that several teams mobilised leading lawyers some time ago to work out whether they have grounds for claims.
Arsenal six points clear
The football has carried on regardless. Arsenal have moved six points clear of City, and their win at Anfield has helped them build a cushion at the top of the table.
The open question is who, if anyone, can mount a serious challenge to Mikel Arteta's side. Andoni Iraola was reluctant to draw conclusions when he spoke last month, ahead of his team's defeat to Arsenal.
"Like I said before, it is still October," Iraola said. "We have to take one game at a time, and I always say the reference is more or less when we've played against each other once, so halfway through the season."
He added: "Right now, we are in a position where we need to improve and keep getting better."
A title race with an asterisk
It is hard to look at the table and not wonder where City's name will appear once sanctions land. Football.london's Arsenal reporter Tom Canton wrote that it would be a surprise to see it anywhere other than 20th place.
The tribal nature of fandom, he added, is likely to see many claim that this season carries an asterisk. Arsenal have already faced what he called reductive arguments, such as the idea that this is one of the poorest Premier League seasons for a while or that they are boring to watch.
Canton, who has attended almost all of Arsenal's games, said he has rarely been bored, Nottingham Forest aside. Whatever happens next, he wrote, the Premier League has a major issue, with nearly two decades of action muddied by the case.
