The English game has developed two distinct sets of punishments over the past three years. One involves fines from the Football Association running into tens of thousands for incidents such as surrounding referees or mass confrontations. The other pertains to points deductions and multi-million-pound fines over financial regulations. It's essential to highlight that these cannot be lumped together into a single 'guilt table' — the rules, authorities, and severity of the offences differ considerably.
In February 2023, an independent regulatory commission of the FA slapped Arsenal with a £65,000 fine for player behaviour during the 56th minute of their match against Manchester City on 15 February. The club acknowledged their failure to maintain order around the referee. Additionally, they were penalised a further £20,000 for a previous incident in the FA Cup against Oxford United. During that same match, City incurred a £75,000 fine for surrounding the referee on two occasions. It’s worth noting that a £75,000 fine mistakenly attributed to Manchester United actually pertains to City. In the 2022/23 season, United themselves forked out £55,000 for a mass confrontation with Crystal Palace and £65,000 for surrounding the referee in their FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham.
Liverpool endured two £25,000 fines in 2023, one in February alongside Everton, who received a £40,000 fine for their part in a mass confrontation during the Merseyside derby. Additionally, in October, they faced a standard penalty for 'indiscipline' after a defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, where they tallied more than six yellow cards, including two dismissals. The FA hands out these sanctions automatically when six or more cautions or red cards are issued in a match, counting bench personnel as well.
On the financial front, the stakes are much higher. In November 2023, Everton became the first Premier League club to face a points deduction for failing to comply with Profitability and Sustainability Rules, having ten points stripped away for the three-year period leading up to the 2021/22 season. An appeal in February 2024 reduced the penalty to six points, but they faced an added two points in April 2024 for issues stemming from the previous period. The club chose to withdraw its appeal in January 2025, and subsequently, the Premier League dropped remaining claims related to their new stadium's funding.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest had four points deducted in March 2024 for exceeding financial limits in the 2022/23 season; the commission, initially considering a six-point deduction, reduced it due to the club's early admission of guilt.
In a separate case, Chelsea, under new ownership since 2022, voluntarily alerted the league about potential historical breaches. In March 2026, the Premier League approved a settlement of £10.75 million, including £10 million for undisclosed third-party payments totalling around £47 million from 2011 to 2018 (including for transfers involving Eden Hazard, Willian, and Nemanja Matic) alongside a conditional one-year ban on signing first-team players and a £750,000 immediate nine-month ban on registering academy players. The FA later slapped Chelsea with an additional £10 million fine stemming from their 74 charges. However, their appeal altered a proposed points deduction of six points to a conditional ban on two transfer windows, and points were ultimately not deducted as the league took into account their voluntary disclosure.
Then there's the prominent case of Manchester City, which in February 2023 faced 115 charges over financial irregularities from the seasons 2009/10 to 2017/18, including falsified financial information, rewards, UEFA regulations, and a refusal to cooperate with the investigation. The club has consistently denied these accusations. On 29 September 2026, the league announced that an independent commission found City guilty of serious financial rule violations and most of the non-cooperation allegations. City lodged an appeal on 1 October, describing the findings as erroneous in law and fact. The hearing regarding sanctions has yet to conclude; no points have been deducted. Labeling these matters as '114 crimes' is misleading — they're disciplinary breaches of league rules rather than criminal convictions. Any speculation regarding sanctions, like 'at least minus 60,' remains mere conjecture rather than a final judgement.
