Jamie Carragher has publicly demanded that Manchester City be stripped of all the honours they have collected after an independent commission concluded that the club breached the Premier League's financial regulations in a serious manner. The commission’s investigation covered the period from the 2009/10 season through to 2017/18 – a span during which City secured three league crowns, one FA Cup, three League Cups and a Community Shield. While the club continues to deny any wrongdoing, it has announced its intention to appeal the findings and has until Friday, 2 October, to lodge that appeal. The next hearing will determine the exact penalties, which could range from points deductions and hefty fines to transfer bans or even expulsion from the top flight.
This raises a compelling question: what would the football landscape look like if Manchester City were forced to surrender those titles and trophies? To understand the potential fallout, it helps to review the achievements that are now under scrutiny. Between 2009/10 and 2017/18, City lifted the Premier League trophy three times. Their first triumph came in the 2011/12 season when a dramatic last‑day victory over Queens Park Rangers, sealed by Sergio Agúró’s iconic goal, snatched the title from Manchester United.
Two years later, in 2013/14, City edged out Liverpool by a narrow two‑point margin to claim their second crown. Then, in the historic 2017/18 campaign, they became the first English side to reach the 100‑point milestone, again finishing ahead of United and setting a new points record. If those three championships were simply reassigned to the runners‑up, the historical record would shift dramatically. Manchester United would be awarded two of the titles – one for the Sir Alex Ferguson era and another for Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s tenure – raising the Red Devils’ total to fifteen league crowns.
Liverpool would receive the 2014 title, giving Jurgen Klopp his second Premier League trophy. However, the process of redistributing titles is not straightforward, and football authorities could choose a different route.
One possibility is to leave the championships vacant, mirroring the aftermath of the 2004/05 Serie A scandal in Italy, where Juventus was stripped of its title and the season was recorded without a champion. In that scenario, the record books would show a blank entry for those years, and no club would be credited with the honours. Another, more disruptive option would be to expunge Manchester City’s league results for the offending seasons entirely.
Removing City’s points from the tables would alter the final standings for every club that season, potentially reshuffling European qualification spots, relegation battles, and even the distribution of prize money. While the exact impact would vary year by year, some notable consequences can be highlighted. For instance, Blackpool, who narrowly avoided relegation in the 2010/11 campaign, would have stayed up if City’s results were erased, at the expense of Wolverhampton Wanderers. Everton missed out on European competition in four of the nine seasons under review because City finished above them.
In 2013/14, Everton finished fifth and secured a Europa League berth, but the top four – including City – qualified for the Champions League, pushing Everton out of the continent’s premier tournament. Tottenham Hotspur were denied Champions League football in four seasons for the same reason, having to settle for Europa League participation each time. Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea also saw their European ambitions curtailed when City occupied higher league positions.
Beyond continental qualification, the ripple effect extended to clubs fighting for mid‑table prestige and financial rewards. Liverpool, Manchester United, Swansea City and Southampton all missed out on European spots in various seasons because City finished ahead of them. The knock‑on effect on revenue, player recruitment and managerial stability for these clubs could have been significant.
Cup competitions would also be rewritten. City’s 2011 FA Cup victory over Stoke City – a match in which Stoke manager Tony Pulis famously declared his side had been "cheated" – would be nullified, potentially awarding the trophy to Stoke or leaving the season without a winner. The three League Cup triumphs – over Sunderland in 2014, Liverpool in 2016 and Arsenal in 2018 – would be erased, affecting the silverware records of those opponents.
Sunderland, who have not lifted a major trophy since their 1973 FA Cup win, would miss out on the chance to claim a modern‑era cup. Liverpool’s manager Jürgen Klopp would have been denied his first piece of silverware, and Arsenal’s legendary manager Arsène Wenger would have missed the chance to exit his final season at the club with a trophy. The Community Shield victory over Chelsea in 2012 would also be called into question, removing yet another accolade from City’s cabinet.
While the Shield is often seen as a ceremonial curtain‑raiser, it still counts as an official trophy in the club’s history. In summary, stripping Manchester City of the titles and cups earned between 2009/10 and 2017/18 would not merely rewrite the club’s own trophy cabinet; it would reverberate throughout English football. The league tables could be altered, European qualifications reshuffled, and the historical narrative of several clubs fundamentally changed.
Whether the authorities choose to leave the titles vacant, reassign them to runners‑up, or expunge City’s results entirely remains to be seen, but the potential ramifications are extensive and would be felt for years to come.