Premier League champion Manchester City's well-chronicled troubles on the field this season could pale into insignificance in the coming weeks if an independent commission rules that the club has breached multiple financial regulations.
City's unexpected meltdown on the pitch has all but knocked Pep Guardiola's side out of contention for a fifth successive title, and they are even in danger of exiting the Champions League at the first stage.
But while form is temporary and fixable, a much larger and darker cloud has stationed itself over the Abu Dhabi-owned club that in the last decade has amassed a vast haul of silverware and become the dominant force in English soccer.
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