Football’s biggest scandals after Man City guilty verdict: Stripped titles, prison sentences and giants toppled
Manchester City face a battle to protect their future and reputation after an independent commission found them guilty of serious financial rule breaches, in a verdict that has rocked English football. The Premier League confirmed on Tuesday that City had been found guilty of all charges concerning financial breaches across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The commission concluded that ‘sham’ agreements had inflated revenues and reduced costs by more than £900million. According to the findings, sponsors paid only part of the fees recorded, with the balance supplied by the club’s owner, Abu Dhabi United Group. City were also found to have concealed their true finances and committed multiple breaches of their obligation to co-operate with investigators. City deny wrongdoing and say they will appeal, arguing that the decision contains errors of law, principle and fact. They have until Friday, October 2, to lodge their challenge. Punishment will be considered at a separate hearing; no sanction has yet been imposed. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has warned that expulsion from the Premier League is among the possible consequences if the findings are upheld, while stressing City’s right to a fair appeal. League chief executive Richard Masters described the case as the most significant in the competition’s history. The verdict raises profound questions about the foundations of City’s rise, but football has confronted seismic scandals before. From Italian champions stripped of titles to arrests at FIFA’s doorstep, here are six episodes that shattered reputations, derailed careers and forced fans to question the game they love. Calciopoli: Italy’s giants brought down Italy’s World Cup triumph in 2006 arrived amid a scandal that ripped through its domestic game. Intercepted telephone calls exposed attempts to influence referee appointments, with Juventus executive Luciano Moggi central to the affair. Juventus were stripped of their 2004-05 and 2005-06 Serie A titles and relegated to Serie B, eventually starting with a nine-point deduction. Inter Milan were awarded the second title; the first remains unassigned. AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina also received penalties, with the nation left reeling at what should have been one of the sunniest summers in their history. Marseille: European glory and a bribery plot Marseille’s greatest triumph came with a scandal already brewing. Six days before beating AC Milan in the 1993 Champions League final, they faced Valenciennes in a French league fixture. Opponents were approached with bribes to ease off, helping Marseille secure victory and avoid injuries before their European showdown. Valenciennes defender Jacques Glassmann refused and exposed the approach. Marseille were stripped of their domestic title, barred from defending their European crown and subsequently relegated in 1994. Their Champions League trophy, intriuginly, remained theirs. LATEST SPORTS NEWS: Man City players told to 'stick their medals in the bin' as club face unprecedented crisis Furious Cristiano Ronaldo set to hold emergency meeting with Portugal bosses Luke Humphries takes aim at fan in crowd after victory in World Grand Prix FIFA: The corruption investigation that shook the world Football’s corridors of power became a crime scene in May 2015 when Swiss authorities arrested seven officials in Zurich at America’s request. US prosecutors unveiled charges against nine football officials and five business executives, alleging a corruption scheme stretching back 24 years. The indictment described more than $150million in alleged bribes and kickbacks, much of it linked to lucrative broadcasting and marketing contracts. Former FIFA executive Chuck Blazer had already secretly pleaded guilty to charges including racketeering conspiracy and tax evasion. The investigation exposed how lucrative commercial deals surrounding the world’s most popular sport could become vehicles for private enrichment. England’s betting scandal: Players backed their own defeat English football’s own match-fixing scandal erupted in 1964, when the Sunday People exposed a betting ring involving professional players. Sheffield Wednesday’s Peter Swan, Tony Kay and David Layne had backed their team to lose at Ipswich in December 1962. Wednesday duly lost 2-0. The three received four-month prison sentences in 1965 and were banned from football for life, although those bans were later lifted. Former player Jimmy Gauld, the central figure in the wider conspiracy, received four years behind bars. Maradona: A World Cup comeback ends in disgrace Diego Maradona arrived at the 1994 World Cup seeking another glorious chapter in a career already scarred by controversy. He scored against Greece, celebrating with a wild scream into a television camera, and helped Argentina beat Nigeria. Then came the devastating announcement: he had tested positive for banned stimulant ephedrine. Removed from the tournament, Maradona subsequently received a 15-month ban from FIFA. The player who had inspired Argentina’s 1986 triumph would, consequently, never appear at another World Cup. His comeback had lasted just two matches, leaving one of football’s greatest talents to exit its biggest stage under a cloud of disgrace. The European Super League: A breakaway met by revolt Twelve leading clubs announced a European Super League in April 2021, proposing a competition offering permanent places to its founding members. Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham joined the project, prompting fury from supporters who saw sporting merit being sacrificed for guaranteed income. Fans protested outside Stamford Bridge, players spoke out and governments threatened intervention. Within 48 hours, the English contingent had announced its withdrawal, leaving the launch in ruins. The episode revealed a gulf between powerful owners and their supporters, and how quickly a supposedly transformative business plan could collapse when football’s paying public refused it. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
September 30, 2026
