Calciopoli to Spygate – Previous heavy penalties to scare City fans

Manchester City has been found guilty of breaching Premier League financial rules from 2009 to 2018 by an independent commission. The independent body has not yet determined the sanctions. Several other sports organizations have faced heavy penalties in the past, setting a precedent for serious infractions. Juventus were relegated to Serie B after being implicated in referee influence attempts, losing nine points, and having their 2005 and 2006 Serie A titles stripped.

AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, and Reggina also suffered point deductions for similar offenses. The Formula One team McLaren was fined $100 million and stripped of the constructors’ championship after an employee passed confidential Ferrari information to a friend. The plot unraveled when the photocopying shop owner, a Ferrari fan, reported the stolen documents to the Italian team.

The English county cricket club Durham faced 48-point deductions and points deductions from limited-overs competitions, being stripped of Test ground status after financial difficulties. They were also given a £3.8 million ECB bailout. Saracens rugby club was hit with a 35-point deduction and a fine over £5 million for salary cap breaches, leaving them bottom of the league and leading to a relegation to the second tier.

In 1906, the FA sanctioned 17 players at Manchester City for systematically breaking player payment rules, banning two club directors for life and two for a year. Southampton was excluded from the English Premier League play-offs in 2026 and docked four points, facing relegation from the start of the next season due to spying charges.