For Manchester City and its fans, the decision on punishment for being found guilty of 114 charges relating to financial fair play rules cannot come soon enough. An appeal process will follow, but the punishment could be ongoing while the appeal is heard. Ultimately, what does whatever happens relate to City stars like Elliot Anderson, Erling Haaland, and others?
To be clear, it appears that no player has a clause in their contract that automatically allows them to tear up their deals and land with another club. This is the case for those who joined City before 2023, when the charges were initially announced, or for those players who have signed since.
Those who joined the club before 2023, like Haaland, would seemingly have less of an argument to leave due to the charges because they weren't well-known before Haaland came to east Manchester. Players like Anderson, though, knew about the charges and signed with City anyway.
Manchester City will not automatically see a mass exodus of elite players due to punishment for charges
Part of that could be due to the club maintaining its innocence and presenting a front as if no real punishment would occur. That could still unfold, of course, but it also seems extremely unlikely. Instead, City could face grave and proportionate consequences from the guilty verdict.
That will probably involve a massive fine levied on Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Abu Dhabi United Group specifically, as well as any number of other outcomes. The club could have enough of a point deduction to have no other result except relegation at the end of the season. Would many of the current players on the first team leave? Not unless their contracts are up.
The club could also allow them to transfer, selling their rights to help recoup some of the money lost from relegation. Premier League TV money is substantial, for example, and letting Haaland, who is signed through 2034, or Jeremy Doku, who is signed through 2031, leave would give City a lot of money.
If the club only faces a fine, then Manchester City shouldn't lose any players, but only a fine is likely not going to be what happens. Probably, many different punishments will happen, and then the club could have three months or so for an appeal to be heard.
The players currently signed through 2028 or so are simply stuck. If City is relegated due to a point deduction but allowed to return after a season, the club is so talented that a one-year bounce back from the PL and then a chase at the title the following season is a real possibility.
Still, no one can truly know what the punishment(s) will be, as anything is possible. Maybe it won't be as bad as fans fear, but this is the chance for the Premier League to put its stamp on a team taking advantage of financial improprieties to win titles. Let's just hope the misery ends soon and the punishment is known soon.
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