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TFU · THE LEDGER · STORIES · 2026-09-26

Should Man City's Titles Get an Asterisk? The 115 Verdict Fallout

REEL · ENTRY OF 190 · ARCHIVE OF RECORD

City are guilty on 114 charges. Our view: asterisk the titles. Forever.

THE DESK — NOTES & REMARKS

Follow-up to GUILTY. Image credits: could not locate a Commons CC line for the Pep/Agüero/Rodri/Mourinho/Palmer/trophy cutouts despite checking the parent packs and the central asset ledger; posted under the same standing as GUILTY and other City reels (press/agency photos, no CC credit line required). Cover used the certified SENTENCE_COVER.png, not the operator-supplied thumbnail (that file was AI-generated and depicted real identifiable players — R71).

THE LOWDOWN — THE FULL HISTORY

THE VERDICT

Per reporting (The Athletic, 25 Sept 2026), City were found guilty on 114 of 115 Premier League charges. The written decision is unpublished; sanctions are undecided; City dispute the findings and are expected to appeal.

THE FALLOUT

Guardiola had said in May 2022 he would leave the day after if the club lied to him; he left City in summer 2026. Mourinho (July 2025) said United 'legally' should have won 2017–18. Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United and Tottenham reserved the right to claim compensation; reports put the potential combined bill above £200m.

OUR VIEW

Three titles fall inside the charged years (2011–12, 2013–14, 2017–18). Stripping them triggers a chain reaction (prize money, European places, contracts), as Italy's 2006 precedent shows. TFU's view: keep them in the record, marked with an asterisk.

THE OTHER SIDE

Most of City's later honours (the 2023 Treble, four titles in a row 2021–24, Rodri's 2024 Ballon d'Or) came after the charged years, yet carry the stain.

THE OPTIONS

The rulebook allows a fine, points, suspension, expulsion or 'such other penalty' as the commission thinks fit; there is no tariff, and expulsion has never been used.

Manchester CityArsenalLiverpoolManchester UnitedTottenham HotspurChelseaEvertonSergio AgüeroRodri

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