Express Sport readers believe Manchester City should be relegated to the National League if the club is expelled from the Premier League, according to a new poll. The verdict comes after an independent panel found City guilty on 114 of the 115 charges levelled by the Premier League.
The process has now run for over 1,300 days since City were first charged, with more than two years passing since a hearing began. City are expected to appeal the verdict, while rival clubs wait to learn what sanctions may be imposed and consider legal action of their own.
Poll results show fans want tough punishment
Of the over 4,700 readers who voted in the Express Sport poll, 44 per cent believe City should be dropped into the National League. A further 23 per cent think the club should fall to League Two if accepted by the English Football League, while 17 per cent favour a drop to the Championship and 16 per cent backed League One.
Possible sanctions include expulsion from the Premier League. There have been suggestions that the English Football League could refuse to accept City, which would push them into non-league football.
Titles expected to stay on the honour roll
Despite the punishment calls, BBC Sport report that the eight-time English champions are unlikely to lose any of their past trophies, with little appetite from the league or its clubs to pursue such action. City won eight major honours between 2009 and 2018, the period under scrutiny, with those titles won under Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola set to remain.
If City are not stripped of trophies or removed from the Premier League, alternative sanctions could include fines, a transfer ban and points deductions. The club continue to deny wrongdoing.
Club chairman remains confident
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said on Saturday: "Here's what I said to my family: The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the club's innocence is just as strong as when this began."
Al Mubarak added: "There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position. But the strict confidentiality of the legal process and our determination to respect it means I cannot do that at the moment. Even this letter underwent several legal checks to make sure it complies."
