Kieran Maguire on potential sanctions for Man City
If you had the impression that the saga over Manchester City's 115 charges was almost over, think again.
Two years since the hearing began, the Premier League has confirmed that City have been found guilty of all charges related to breaches of its financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.
City have said they are "innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League" and would pursue "appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe."
It appears the chaos and uncertainty is only going to increase now.
City fans, and the rest of football, are left to guess what the punishment might be. And when this all might reach a definitive conclusion.
The charges are so serious that some form of points deduction now appears inevitable, subject to the appeal by City, who strongly refute the accusations.
When and how any punishment is applied will be crucial not just for City, but the Premier League as a whole.
And that's before we get to the prospect of clubs suing City for compensation.
Enzo Maresca's side go to Liverpool on 11 October when the Premier League resumes after the international break. They could go six points clear at the top. But is that now rendered meaningless?
Let's look at possible scenarios - none of which are particularly appealing.
No Premier League appetite to strip Man City of titles - but threat remains
Deciding the punishment should be quicker than ascertaining guilt, but nothing is certain in this case.
As the charges have been denied, it will have to go to a sanction hearing convened by the independent panel.
At the hearing, everything will be on the table. Fines, points deductions and even demotion.
This differs from Chelsea's case earlier this year, as the Stamford Bridge club self-reported and admitted guilt. That allowed them to negotiate with the Premier League and reach a sanctioning agreement.
The panel will have to comb through the hundreds of pages of evidence and determine the punishment.
Remember, Everton were docked six points, reduced from 10 on appeal, and then two points in separate cases for breaches of profit and sustainability rules (PSR). Nottingham Forest were deducted four points.
These were considered to be minor breaches, while City faced seven separate charges on PSR breaches in the Premier League alone, as well as a further five related to Uefa competitions.
This aspect alone suggests a large points penalty.
That is before you get into the findings that the club arranged "sham contracts" as well as "relying on sham agreements to artificially inflate the club's revenues and reduce its costs", equating to roughly £830m of extra revenue from sponsorship deals.
Take all this into account, and it places an asterisk against the Premier League between 2009 and 2018.
Chelsea and Manchester City, two of the competition's most successful clubs, have been part of that. While Chelsea admitted effectively cheating, City have been found guilty. They got around the financial rules to put them in a position to be able to sign more expensive players than their finances should have permitted.
And if this season passes with no decision on the sanction while it is known City were guilty of the majority of counts, what does that mean for the integrity of the competition?
Could a penalty be backdated to this season when finally awarded? Unlikely.
So what if Manchester City win the league?
Coventry are third from bottom right now. What if they finish in that position, are relegated, but would have stayed up had City's punishment come this season?
This inertia is terrible news for the Premier League as a competition.
There's a strong argument that a sanctioning agreement is the cleanest way out of this.
But that may not be palatable to the league as they would have to negotiate with City, who would presumably want a lesser punishment.
Clubs seek legal advice over Man City charges compensation
Man City fans face up to reality of guilty verdict
Man City legal fight could spiral out of control - Purslow
The usual process when any points penalty is handed down is that it is applied immediately, subject to appeal.
It could be a points deduction so large that it is effectively a relegation.
Alternatively, if City's membership of the Premier League was revoked, it is unclear how that might be applied mid-season.
It could also be that the punishment is a huge fine, although that would seem unlikely given points deductions to other clubs.
The question would be how soon we hear, and how long after the appeal is heard.
While there are timelines for the appeal process within the Premier League regulations, it is unclear whether they would directly apply here.
Usually, the league asks for an expedited process from the independent arbitration company which handles disciplinary cases.