How much did Man City's rule breaking cost your team?

Consider a scenario in which Manchester City had not engaged in the use of "sham contracts" to assemble a squad that has claimed three Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and three EFL Cups.

While City reveled in their accomplishments, there were undoubtedly others who bore the brunt of these activities.

The ramifications extend beyond just the teams that secured second place or those that faced defeat in cup finals.

The potential consequences are far-reaching, encompassing missed qualifications for the Champions League, relegations, and the loss of Premier League prize money.

Between 2009 and 2018, thirty-five clubs competed in the English top division.

Each of these teams could argue that they experienced some financial detriment.

City continues to assert their innocence, having filed an appeal against all charges. Nonetheless, they have currently been found guilty of inflating sponsorship income by £830 million, in addition to £90 million in expenses.

Removing this financial injection fundamentally alters the competitive landscape.

BBC Sport has conducted detailed calculations to evaluate the possible financial implications for teams within the top division.

How the figures are worked out

Since Sheikh Mansour acquired Manchester City in 2008, the club's trajectory has transformed remarkably.

Prior to the formation of the Premier League, City's highest finish since 1991-92 was eighth in 2004-05, after having finished fifth in their last season before the league's inception.

The financial influx from Abu Dhabi, characterized by what the Premier League's independent commission termed a "disguised funding scheme," significantly boosted the club's sponsorship revenues, initially placing them on par with other clubs like Stoke City in 2008-09, before eventually surpassing even Manchester United.

City achieved a fifth-place finish in the 2009-10 season and has consistently remained in the top four since then.

Did this influx of funds deprive other clubs of Champions League opportunities and other forms of success?

This analysis does not attempt to ascertain what compensation a team might be entitled to. Nor does it claim that any specific team would have definitively avoided relegation or secured a spot in the Champions League.

Instead, it reflects the uncertainty—the possibility that a different version of the City team would have taken the pitch had the substantial financial backing from their Abu Dhabi owners not been present.

Potential future earnings from success, such as bonus payments from sponsors and additional prize money, have not been included in this assessment.

Moreover, the impact on players who may feel deprived of salary increases or triggered payments based on their club’s performance has also been excluded.

The focus here is solely on domestic effects:

• Lost prize money due to league placement
• Missed Champions League earnings
• Payments from the Europa League
• Loss of Premier League status
• Consequences of cup final defeats

How City gained £1.17bn, and others may have lost £844m

The overarching impact of City’s actions on fellow clubs is potentially around £844 million.

• £188.2 million in Premier League placement payments
• £349.7 million in costs associated with relegation
• £217.8 million in missed Champions League prize money
• £88.3 million linked to domestic cup competitions and the Europa League

These figures were derived from publicly available prize money records from the relevant seasons.

For Premier League placement money, each team that finished below City is assessed as having potentially missed out on a payment for that position.

Regarding relegation, the assessment represents the bare minimum value of playing in the Premier League for the following season, minus any parachute payments received.

City's earnings from subsequent Champions League seasons were factored in, subtracting the Europa League prize money received by the affected teams.

During this span, City themselves garnered substantial prize money—totaling £1.17 billion:

• £812.3 million from the Premier League, accounting for both prize money and broadcasting revenues
• £363.4 million from the Champions League
• £900,000 from their FA Cup triumph
• £300,000 from their three EFL Cup victories

The most impacted: How Spurs could have missed out on £120m

"We have lived through a period of deception," former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino remarked last month.

"No form of penalty can rectify the impact of what transpired."

Spurs finished just outside the Champions League positions on four occasions—three of which were during Pochettino's tenure—in the eight seasons that saw City qualify for Europe's premier competition.

Using the earnings accrued by City from the Champions League in the following season, BBC Sport deducted Tottenham's Europa League prize distributions during those same periods.

Across the four seasons that Spurs missed out, Manchester City earned £148.2 million from the Champions League, as Tottenham received £29.9 million from the Europa League.

The 2014-15 season marked the largest financial disparity, as City concluded the league in second place while Tottenham finished fifth. City collected £71.2 million for reaching the Champions League semi-finals in the subsequent season, whereas Spurs only received £17.7 million from the Europa League—a difference of £53.5 million.

Additionally, Spurs placed below City in the Premier League standings six times, resulting in a cumulative prize money discrepancy of £6.6 million.

In the 2013-14 season, Spurs were fortunate, qualifying for European competition since City triumphed over Sunderland in the EFL Cup final.

This achievement netted Spurs £5.1 million from the 2014-15 Europa League campaign, which could not have been possible without City's victory.

Considering all competitions, the cumulative financial detriment for Spurs reaches £119.9 million.

Did City's EFL Cup win cost Liverpool £37.8m?

The outcome of the 2015-16 EFL Cup final was pivotal for Liverpool's aspirations for European football.

Jurgen Klopp's squad faced City, succumbing to a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw. The Europa League berth was subsequently awarded to West Ham United.

Liverpool finished in eighth place, which did not meet the criteria for European qualification.

Had Liverpool emerged victorious in that final, they would have entered the Europa League, providing a critical financial comparison.

When examining Manchester United’s success in the Europa League during the 2016-17 campaign, they received £37.8 million in prize money. Included in this amount was a market pool payment of £26.6 million, tied to television rights values.

While it is not definitive that Liverpool would have secured the Europa League title, their stature as a club is comparable to Manchester United, thereby establishing a useful benchmark.

With Premier League placement money of £10.6 million—given that Liverpool finished below City in each of the nine relevant seasons—the total financial impact on the Merseyside club is estimated at £52.3 million.

In the context of the FA Cup, City claimed the title once during the examined period, defeating Stoke City in 2010-11, which resulted in a prize money difference of £900,000, as the runners-up advanced into the Europa League.

Everton were denied Europe five times

Everton experienced one near miss for Champions League qualification in the 2013-14 season, as well as four instances where they finished just one place short of the Europa League spot.

The value of a Champions League place is approximated at £32.6 million—the £39 million earned by Manchester City less the £6.4 million earned by Everton from the Europa League participation.

Missing out on the Europa League four times adds up to £23.2 million.

When adding the £10.6 million from Premier League placement payments, the comprehensive financial impact on Everton totals £66.4 million, making them the third-most affected club.

Did two relegations cost Hull City £99m?

Relegation from the Premier League often involves significant financial repercussions, even with parachute payments mitigating some impacts.

Could the teams that finished in 18th place, just one position away from safety, make a case that they might have avoided relegation but for City’s dominance?

Several factors could be considered, including the results against City, who secured at least four points from every team placed 18th except for Birmingham.

Moreover, the overall superior squad that City could assemble, which exceeded what their finances should have permitted, raises questions about whether they could have been involved in relegation battles.

It is important to clarify that this analysis does not imply that City would have faced relegation. Instead, it illustrates a matter of probability.

BBC Sport has retrieved the total prize money accrued by the team finishing in 20th the following season, suggesting a minimal financial return for remaining in the top tier.

This figure is then adjusted for the initial year of parachute payments to arrive at a net sum.

Hull City was relegated twice during this timeframe, resulting in losses of £93.78 million.

The club also completed the season below City in the standings on four occasions, which contributes an additional £5.2 million to their losses.

This positions Hull City as the second-most impacted club with a total of £99 million in losses.

Swansea City ranks fourth in this analysis with £63.1 million—a figure that includes £54 million attributed to relegation and £9.1 million sourced from the seven seasons they spent in the top flight.

Newcastle United, relegated in 2015-16 while finishing 18th, incurred losses estimated at £60.4 million, which includes £7.9 million related to prize positions.

Teams such as Norwich (£43.8 million), Wigan (£39.6 million), Burnley (£31.1 million), Bolton (£26.4 million), and Birmingham (£25.1 million) also faced relegation while ending in 18th place.

The loss of Champions League money

In addition to Tottenham, four other teams missed out on Champions League participation by a single position across the eight seasons during which City qualified.

The most significant loss was experienced by Chelsea, who finished fifth in the 2017-18 season.

City earned £79.2 million for reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League, whereas Chelsea received £39.4 million for winning the Europa League, resulting in a financial gap of £39.8 million.

Everton, who placed fifth in 2013-14, recorded a deficit of £32.6 million, while Arsenal's fifth-place finish in 2016-17 saw a gap of £22.1 million.

Manchester United, who finished fifth in 2015-16, experienced minimal financial impact, with City advancing only to the round of 16 in the Champions League and earning £42.6 million, while United's Europa League victory awarded them £37.8 million, leading to a deficit of £4.8 million for the Red Devils.

The cumulative cost of league places

In the Premier League, there is no designated financial pool for the crowning champions.

Broadcast revenue is distributed based on ending league position.

The structure operates on a 1+1 compensation system, whereby the team finishing 20th receives a base payment, the 19th place team receives it twice, and so forth.

Thus, the only financial differentiation in prize money for the team finishing as runners-up in one of Manchester City’s title-winning seasons amounts to a single base payment.

Could any team assert they might have finished one position higher?

The monetary worth of a Premier League placement rose substantially in accordance with broadcasting agreements throughout the time of City’s infractions.

In 2010-11, it was valued at £755,881 per position and increased to £1.94 million by 2016-17.

If any compensation were to be considered, it would appear that Everton, Liverpool, and Stoke City hold the most substantial claims, amounting to £10.7 million, as they finished below City during all nine seasons.

West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United are close behind with a total of £9.9 million, while Swansea City sums up to £9.1 million.

Conversely, seven clubs that each spent only one season in the Premier League, including Blackpool (£756,756), Portsmouth (£800,424), and Huddersfield (£1.93 million), are at the bottom of this financial ranking.