Six-time English Premier League (EPL) champions Manchester City have been charged by the league with over 100 breaches of its financial rules between 2009 and 2018 after a four-year investigation.

It’s a bombshell that not only affects this year’s title race, but could turn the game on its head and threatens City’s very existence.

Relegation and retrospective punishments are among the possible outcomes should City be found guilty. Oblivion has even been suggested.

Here’s a look at Five Things on the biggest scandal in EPL history.

1. This season’s title already lost?

Guilty or innocent, this investigation may have already taken one title off Manchester City – this season’s EPL crown.

Although five points behind Arsenal having played a game more, Pep Guardiola’s men were many people’s favourites to retain their trophy.

But the shock news will hit hard, making every player as well as manager Pep Guardiola question his future.

Games will come thick and fast and the Champions League resumes next week, but this is a huge distraction City could have done without.

2. Could it push Pep out of the door?

The court case could also drag on for months, if not years, and the longer the lawyers wrangle, the worse it will be for City.

Transfer windows will come and go and existing players will not know whether to renew their contracts; new ones won’t want to come.

Last weekend’s loss to Spurs suggested something was wrong in the dressing room, but the real problem is in the boardroom.

The man who’ll be most affected by it is Guardiola who has already said: “If anyone is lying to me, I’m not here tomorrow and they’re not my friend.”

Already in the Last Chance Saloon with the Champions League, this could push him through the door even before the verdict is given.

3. City will lose even if they win

In the eyes of much of football, City have already lost – respect. Even if they win, it will be hard to reclaim it.

Just as they overturned UEFA’s ruling against them – on a technicality argued by a highly-paid legal team – a similar ‘victory’ will ring hollow.

Football – in England and in continental Europe – decided long ago that City would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

They hired the best players, the best managers and the best lawyers.

They have been as smooth as silk on the field, but are accused of riding roughshod over the rules off it.

But it has been dazzling football overshadowed by dodgy deeds and makes them hard for neutrals to warm to.

And that will be the case whatever Pyrrhic victory they may win in court.

It’s a stain that even sportswashing may not be able to remove.

4. Aguero moment will survive

Relegation, docking points, even taking previous titles away are all within the EPL’s powers should City be found guilty.

But retrospective punishments would only further damage the league and that’s the last thing the EPL want to do. This case is already a major blot on its reputation.

After all, the “Aguero Moment” is widely claimed to be the EPL’s greatest – when City scored twice in injury time to overturn a 2-1 deficit against QPR and snatch the crown from United’s grasp.

If such things are to be erased years later, nothing will ever be deemed real and the league would lose even more credibility.

5. Could it be the end for City?

Oblivion looks unlikely. It has been suggested that if the EPL kick them out, the EFL may not want them in the Championship. And then what?

You can’t see that happening and, if the EPL want a precedent, they need look no further than Juventus who’ve been docked 15 points for cooking the books in Italy.

A similar points docking is seen as the most likely outcome. Enough to stop them winning another title but not enough to relegate them.

But will that be harsh enough for over 100 offences?

Anything short of relegation will be seen as soft in rival quarters but the EPL won’t want to cut off its nose to spite its face.

After all, City are one of the jewels in the crown.

Then again, Juventus were relegated for the match-fixing scandal years ago and bounced back to dominate again.

And it didn’t stop them flouting the rules in a different way.

Alternatively, there’s the Rangers solution. The original club was forced to close after multiple misdemeanours and a new one began again in the bottom tier of Scottish football.

Unthinkable, but whatever happens, no one wins and football loses.