The Premier League champions were charged earlier this week with over 100 alleged breaches of the competition’s financial rules

Manchester City(opens in new tab) fans booed the Premier League anthem before their team’s home match against Aston Villa(opens in new tab) on Sunday, capping off a week in which the club was charged with more than 100 alleged financial rules violations.

City was charged on Monday after a four-year investigation into their financial dealings between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons, when they won their first three Premier League titles.

According to experts, we may not know whether City is guilty as charged for years, but potential punishments range from fines to relegation. They could be stripped of their titles as well.

Supporters’ expression of dissatisfaction with the Premier League didn’t stop at drowning out the anthem as the teams lined up for the pre-match handshake, either: they also unfurled a banner showing support for David Pannick, the lawyer the club have appointed to defend them.

Pep Guardiola has echoed the sentiments of the fan base, claiming that City have “already been condemned” by the Premier League’s other 19 clubs – and citing the European ban City received in 2020 for alleged UEFA Financial Fair Play (FFP) breaches which was later overturned on appeal.