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Claim: An Instagram post claims that Manchester City has received a 20-point deduction in each of the next 10 seasons.
Verdict: False. While the Premier League has confirmed that an independent commission found City guilty of the relevant financial breaches, it said it will address sanctions separately at a further hearing.
Full Text
An Instagram page, @balliqmedia, alleged that Manchester City has received its punishment for the 114 charges, with the club set to receive a 20-point deduction in each of the next 10 seasons, beginning in 2027/28.
The post includes an image of the Etihad Stadium and Manchester City’s crest.
At the time of filing this report, the post had received approximately 9,890 likes, 198 comments, 83 reposts and 5,060 shares.
Other social media users made similar posts, as seen here, here and here.
Because it could mislead, DUBAWA decided to investigate the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA checked the claim against the latest information from the Premier League, which is the authority responsible for the disciplinary proceedings.
On Sept. 29, 2026, the Premier League announced that an independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of serious financial rule breaches over the 2009/10 to 2017/18 seasons, as well as most charges related to the club’s cooperation with the Premier League’s investigation.
However, being found guilty is not the same as receiving a punishment.
In its official statement, the Premier League said it must address the sanction issue separately in a further hearing before the independent commission. It also said the hearing would remain private and confidential until the outcome could legally be published.
This directly contradicts the claim that Manchester City had already “received their punishment.”
The Premier League also confirmed that Manchester City has the right to appeal the commission’s findings, with the deadline set for Oct. 2, 2026. The league said the full process, including any appeals and publication of relevant decisions, remains ongoing.
Manchester City have also rejected the findings and said the club intends to pursue the available appeal avenues. In a club statement, City said the Premier League process remains ongoing and that significant elements remain incomplete.
DUBAWA found that the 20-point figure has appeared as an opinion about what Manchester City’s punishment could be, rather than as an announced sanction. For instance, former England international Danny Mills argued on talkSPORT that City should receive a 20-point deduction for each of nine future seasons. That was his proposed punishment, not a ruling from the Premier League or the independent commission.
This distinction is crucial. The viral post presents a proposed punishment as though it were an officially confirmed sanction.
As of the latest Premier League statement, the possible sanctions remain to be determined. The league says the commission has broad discretion, with possible sanctions including fines, points deductions and other sporting penalties.
Conclusion
The social media post is false. Manchester City has been found guilty of 114/115 charges, but the punishment has not yet been decided or announced. The Premier League has confirmed that a separate sanctions hearing is required and that the process remains ongoing.