The footballing world is waiting in anticipation for the final verdict on City’s alleged breaches of financial fair play regulations. Though I’d be surprised to see more than an expensive slap on the wrist as the outcome, the potential scale of the breaches has sent rumours swirling of a potential points deduction or even a relegation.
Despite more than a few April Fool’s jokes of a Manchester City relegation the wait continues, but should the worst (or best, depending on your point of view) happen it would not be the first time a major team has been forced down a tier or two. In fact, there have been several examples of clubs who have been hit with major penalties due to all manner of misdemeanours.
Here are some classic examples with comments on the kits worn by the disgraced teams.
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Marseille - 1992/93
One of the great 90s football kits of all time was tainted by one of the biggest scandals in football history.
Olympique de Marseille thought they had completed a historic double in the 1992/93, becoming the first team to win the revamped “UEFA Champions League” alongside a league title. The trophy success was marred by a bribery scandal known as Affaire VA-OM however.
In the final match of the 1992/93 French Division 1 season, Marseille faced Valenciennes in a game they had to win in order to secure the title. With the Champions League final on the horizon it was paramount that OM players remained as fresh as possible but, not content to leave things to chance, club president Bernard Tapie and general manager Jean-Pierre Bernès orchestrated a multi-player bribe of Valenciennes players.
The consequences were severe, as Marseille were stripped of their league title and relegated to the second division. They were also barred from European competition the following season. Curiously they were allowed to keep their European cup as there was no evidence of match-fixing having taken place during European matches. They are still the only French team to have ever won one of the game’s top prizes.
The shirt worn during their disgraced season was a true gem. One of adidas’ legendary templates, the giant three stripes running over the shoulder of the shirts and from the bottom of the shorts looked special in Marseille’s trademark white and sky blue. Donned with several variations across multiple seasons, it was famously worn sponsorless for the ‘93 Champions League final.
Shanghai Shenhua - 2003
In the late 2000s the Chinese Football Association kicked off a multi-campaign campaign designed to tackle corruption in the Chinese Super League. Their investigation led to Shanghai Shenhua being stripped of their 2003 league title. Shenhua also received a £103,000 fine and a points deduction for the following season; an unfortunate headline for a team who had just signed Didier Drogba the season prior (Drogba would depart after playing just 11 games for the club, scoring 8 goals).
Shanghai’s home kit for their disgraced season was a simple early 00s Nike affair. The design is remarkably similar to the Umbro one that followed it in 2004, for what it’s worth.
Juventus - 2004/05, 2005/06
Calciopoli. In many ways the infamous Italian scandal deserves its own article. Involving several clubs, governing bodies and referees, there were few corners of Italian football left untouched by the drama of the mid 00s. The likes of AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina would all face punishment of varying degrees, but the most impacted individual team was Juventus who were forced to hand back not one but two Serie A titles, one of which was left unassigned (2004/05) and another which was given to Inter Milan.
On top of the title stripping, Juve were famously forced to start out the 2006/07 season in Serie B. In what would become a fascinating experiment of sorts, The Old Lady would retain several key players despite playing in the second tier for the first time in their history. Legends like Buffon, Chiellini, Nedvěd and Del Piero would choose club loyalty over all, and unsurprisingly the star-studded lineup would prove to be too powerful crushing the league despite a 9 point deduction.
From a kit perspective the classic Total 90 template and its subsequent evolution would find themselves attached to Juve’s disgraced seasons. The OG version was used in 2004/05 with two different sponsors in “Tamoil” and “Sky Sport” whilst the “Mark II” version of the template would be used in 2005/06 again with multiple sponsor options.
Fenerbahçe & Beşiktaş - 2010/2011
Turkish football was in something of a rough patch during the early 10s. Two of the country's biggest teams Fenerbahçe & Beşiktaş received penalties due to their involvement in a match-fixing scandal covering the 2010/11 season.
After a lengthy investigation Fenerbache received a two-year ban from European football in 2013, with a third year suspended. The ban came on the back of an enforced withdrawal from the Champions League in 2011/12, with games from the club’s league title winning season of 2010/11 effected. For Besiktas, the punishment was similar with expulsion from Europe as part of a one-year ban.
Fener were not forced to hand back their tainted title, and as such their 2010/11 home has not gone down in complete infamy. Like many of the club’s home shirts it follows the familiar formula, but the effort from adidas was a quietly strong one especially in long sleeves. Beşiktaş would also be allowed to keep the Turkish Cup they won in 2011, and like Fenerbache the team had donned a decent adidas shirt for their dodgy victory.
Rangers - 2012
Relegation by a single tier is one thing, but Rangers were kicked all the way down to the four tier of Scottish football after a huge administration crisis which unravelled in 2012.
The background to the downfall was long and complicated, with the most notable misdemeanor being a stack of unpaid tax accrued between 2001-2010. Ultimately “Rangers Football Club plc” would enter liquidation in October 2012, reforming as a new entity which then sparked a debate as to whether the relaunched Rangers could be considered a true continuation of the original club. Despite the demotion and associated penalties, Rangers would be allowed to keep all the trophies from their significant historical haul.
The final shirt of the original Rangers era was an absolute beauty from Umbro. One of many legendary “Tailored by Umbro” designs, the 2011/12 Rangers home was typical of Umbro kits at the time with an understated look and a focus on material quality and construction. Umbro would remain at Ibrox for the 2012/13 Third Division season before a switch to Puma in 2013.
Parma - 2015
In an eerily similar vein to Rangers before them, former Italian heavyweights Parma would drop down multiple divisions in 2015 after declaring bankruptcy whilst failing to find a buyer. No stranger to financial difficulties during their history, the club had already been excluded from the Europa League in 2014/15 due to a late tax payment. Despite the punishment handed down to them the club, like Rangers, would have no issue keeping their titles. They would also ultimately return to the top flight.
The 2014/15 Parma home kit took full advantage of Serie A’s relaxed sponsorship rules and the commercial opportunities afforded to top flight clubs, with no fewer than three sponsors across the front of the shirt in addition to the manufacturer logo (Errea) and club crest. The red sponsor on the opposite side of the crest was a particularly unfortunate addition from an aesthetic point of view.
Real Madrid - 2015/16
Proving that no club is above the law, Real Madrid were expelled from the Copa del Rey in 2015 for the unusual reason of fielding an ineligible player. Russian winger Denis Cheryshev, a product of the club’s academy, was supposed to be serving a ban which he received during a previous loan spell at Villarreal. Instead he scored the opening goal in a 3-1 win for Madrid. Complicating matters were claims from Real that Cheryshev had never been notified about his ban, but nonetheless the suspension was upheld.
From a kit perspective the 2015/16 Real Madrid home was one of the club’s cleanest of the modern era. Though most Los Blancos kits have employed a contrasting secondary colour such as black, blue or even pink, the 2015 affair had light grey stripes. An even more stripped down look would follow in the form of the memorable Parley kit the following year.
KF Skënderbeu Korçë - 2015
Chances are you haven’t heard of Albanian side KF Skënderbeu Korçë, but one of Albania's biggest teams received a punishment of epic proportions with a 10 year ban from European football due to, you guessed it, match-fixing allegations.
Of the several matches that were investigated, a continental tie against Northern Ireland’s Crusaders exemplified just how deep the corruption had set. Skënderbeu found themselves 2-1 up as the 90 minute mark approached. With the full-time whistle looming “hundreds of thousands of dollars” were placed on the bet that at least four goals would be scored, according to UEFA. In stunning fashion Crusaders would bag two goals inside a minute to secure a 3-2 and ultimately help the game cross the four goal threshold.
Such were the bizarre circumstances that Crusader’s goalkeeper Sean O’Neill tweeted after the game that "If there is not a UEFA investigation into our game tonight, then there is something wrong". O’Neill’s hunch proved to be true. As if the European ban wasn’t enough, it would later emerge that Skënderbeu had engaged in illegal activity across several seasons, leading to the stripping of their 2015/16 Albanian league title and a points deduction for 2016/17.
The club’s kit for that fateful night in Belfast was a red and white Puma getup with a similar look to the Arsenal home shirt of the previous season.
Check out this article about how City time wasted themselves to relegation: Manchester City relegation
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