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Manchester City could find themselves in the unusual position of playing Champions League and National League football at the same time next season. They are still waiting to discover the final outcome of their appeal against their guilty verdict on 114 counts of breaking financial rules. An independent commission found that City arranged "sham" contracts with commercial partners as part of a scheme to disguise over £830million in secret funding between 2009 and 2018. The independent commission responsible for the investigation also found that City failed to co-operate to the fullest extent, instead making "concerted efforts to stop and frustrate" the process.
If their appeal fails, City will face a range of potential punishments including a fine, points deduction or expulsion from the Premier League.
The latter scenario would be complicated as there is no obligation for the English Football League (EFL) to accept City as new members. If they refuse, City could be forced to play in the fifth-tier National League or lower.
To make matters even more unusual, there is a chance that City could still play in next season's Champions League while also being a non-league club domestically.
If they win this season's competition, it will guarantee them a place for the 2026/27 campaign even if they fail to qualify through their league position.
It wouldn't be the first time that a club outside England's top-flight have played European football in recent years. Birmingham City took part in the Europa League the season after winning the League Cup in 2011 despite being relegated to the Championship.
Wigan Athletic found themselves in a similar situation when they were relegated just three days after their historic FA Cup triumph in 2013.
City will be desperately hoping to avoid dropping out of the Premier League, but their fate will depend entirely on the appeal process, which is still ongoing.
It's not clear exactly how they will be punished if the guilty verdict is upheld. Stefan Borson, who previously worked as a financial advisor to City, believes they will get a points deduction that will make it impossible to avoid relegated.
"From the very first day, I explained to people that the punishment would be severe and that City would be relegated," he said earlier this month.
"I think people now maybe understand that and maybe didn't understand it when I said it, but it's just inevitable that one way or the other, there's going to be a relegation of some sort.
"The question is the mechanism and what other bits and pieces they try and throw at the club, but obviously that depends on the appeal."
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