In a landmark estimation, it has been revealed Manchester City could owe their domestic rivals more than £527 million in Premier League prize money in the wake of the club being found guilty on 114 out of 115 charges, including breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
Hull City would be due at least £4,422,590 based on the difference in merit payments but with a number of clubs lining up to submit other claims against City, this could merely be the starting point when it comes to compensation due.
The majority of Premier League clubs support the Associated Party Transaction rules, despite City launching a legal battle against APT rules, which cover commercial and sponsorship deals with companies owned or associated with the same club’s owners.
Data specialists at OLBG focused on the amount each club would be entitled to in central payments from the top flight over the period from when the 115 charges against the club began. This analysis, spanning from the 2011/12 to 2025/26 seasons, examines the potential financial repercussions for the club and the rest of the league. Figures for 2025/26 are estimates as the Premier League has not yet published its official payments for that season.
How the Compensation Was Estimated
The estimation of potential compensation is based on central payments distributed to Premier League clubs over the specified period. These central payments are divided into six categories: Equal Share, Facility Fees, Merit Payment, International Equal Share, International Merit Payment, and Central Commercial.
With the exception of Facility Fees and Merit Payments, which are based on the number of televised matches and final league standings respectively, the other payments are distributed equally among the clubs.
To determine the potential compensation owed by Manchester City, data from official Premier League sources and news sites were utilised. By removing Manchester City from the standings and adjusting the positions of other clubs accordingly, the revised Merit Payments were calculated.
The difference between the original and adjusted Merit Payments provided an estimate of how much each club could be owed.
Estimated Results
The following table presents the total Merit Payments received by each club from the 2011/12 to 2025/26 seasons:
Team, Total Merit Payments from 2011/12 to 2025/26*
Manchester City £556,883,928
Arsenal £504,227,718
Liverpool £498,914,155
Manchester United £452,834,498
Chelsea £441,290,008
Tottenham Hotspur £387,596,590
Newcastle United £298,468,260
Everton £273,342,800
Aston Villa £258,482,547
West Ham United £250,597,576
Crystal Palace £235,296,890
Brighton & Hove Albion £219,999,551
Bournemouth £200,662,371
Leicester City £189,269,953
Fulham £150,517,100
Wolverhampton Wanderers £146,977,452
Southampton £140,596,670
Brentford £140,531,664
Burnley £94,355,875
Nottingham Forest £83,900,000
Sunderland £83,492,320
Stoke City £75,408,522
Swansea City £72,554,716
West Bromwich Albion £68,518,083
Leeds United £60,252,732
Watford £57,457,648
Sheffield United £26,218,075
Norwich City £24,136,385
Hull City £15,739,936
Huddersfield Town £11,574,858
Luton Town £9,400,000
Cardiff City £6,991,637
Wigan Athletic £6,798,015
Ipswich Town £5,300,000
Queens Park Rangers £5,021,027
Middlesbrough £3,883,218
Bolton Wanderers £2,265,186
Reading £1,511,762
Blackburn Rovers £1,510,124
* Includes estimated 2025/26 figures (football365). The Premier League has not yet published its official 2025/26 payments.
The adjusted table, reflecting the differences in Merit Payments when Manchester City are excluded, is as follows: Team, Difference in Merit Payments 2011/12 – 2025/26*
Everton £28,944,186
Manchester United £28,118,305
West Ham United £28,089,124
Crystal Palace £27,333,243
Newcastle United £26,902,577
Chelsea £25,787,679
Tottenham Hotspur £25,540,172
Liverpool £24,423,357
Aston Villa £23,052,791
Brighton & Hove Albion £21,769,248
Bournemouth £21,415,229
Arsenal £21,290,352
Southampton £21,228,124
Wolverhampton Wanderers £20,492,042
Burnley £19,203,326
Fulham £19,024,448
Leicester City £17,994,755
Brentford £14,200,387
Nottingham Forest £12,611,429
Sunderland £10,935,938
West Bromwich Albion £10,854,801
Watford £10,492,758
Leeds United £10,297,033
Swansea City £9,107,386
Stoke City £9,107,206
Norwich City £7,448,389
Sheffield United £6,618,375
Hull City £4,422,590
Huddersfield Town £3,849,786
Cardiff City £3,154,601
Luton Town £3,100,000
Queens Park Rangers £2,755,841
Ipswich Town £2,651,429
Middlesbrough £1,941,609
Wigan Athletic £1,510,943
Reading £755,881
Blackburn Rovers £755,062
Bolton Wanderers £755,062
* Includes estimated 2025/26 figures (football365). The Premier League has not yet published its official 2025/26 payments.
This equals a total of £527,935,464 in Premier League prize money that clubs could be potentially owed now that City have been found guilty of breaching FFP.
Total Central Payments to Manchester City
The table below shows the total central payments received by Manchester City each season:
Season, Total Central Payment, League Position
2011/2012 £60,602,289 1
2012/2013 £58,143,890 2
2013/2014 £96,578,329 1
2014/2015 £98,501,832 2
2015/2016 £96,971,603 4
2016/2017 £146,927,965 3
2017/2018 £149,438,654 1
2018/2019 £150,986,355 1
2019/2020 £168,300,000 2
2020/2021 £152,553,233 1
2021/2022 £153,090,894 1
2022/2023 £176,177,193 1
2023/2024 £175,900,000 1
2024/2025 £165,500,000 3
2025/2026* £192,500,000 2
Total £2,042,172,237
*2025/26 figure is an estimate (Citi Newsroom). The Premier League has not yet published its official 2025/26 payments.
Conclusion
Given that Manchester City have been found guilty of breaching FFP regulations, the club may face substantial financial liabilities to their Premier League rivals.
This comprehensive analysis provides a clear picture of the potential compensation owed, highlighting the significant impact on the financial landscape of English football. However, as is predicted by commentary since City were judged to be guilty on 114 out of 115 charges, any such action taken by these parties could pale in comparison to the wave of other claims that could be made in terms of losses by other players and clubs.
This could include attempts to reclaim more than just merit payment differences and could cover defeats in the finals of other competitions, loss of access to the Champions League or other European competitions, sponsorship devaluation, win bonuses and more.
Sources
● Metro
● 2022/23 and 2023/24 Manchester City totals: Premier League 2022/23, Premier League 2023/24
● 2024/25 figures: Premier League
● 2025/26 figures (estimates): football365 (£3.76m per league place), Citi Newsroom (Manchester City’s £192.5m), Premier League (final league table)