Manchester City are facing a mass walkout of their star players after the club was found guilty of 114 charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations. The mood inside the club is said to be "sombre," with staff fearing redundancies and sackings in the wake of the verdict.
City had initially been charged with 115 breaches, but it is understood they have been found guilty on all but one of those. The punishment is yet to be dealt, and City are expected to appeal, but the process is expected to be quicker and the sanctions applied imminently. Among the possible punishments are fines, points deductions that could lead to relegation, or even expulsion from the Premier League.
Star players could leave
Fears are growing that all the big-name players could jump ship, including the likes of Semenyo and Haaland. Any significant punishment could result in some of the club's biggest stars leaving, including Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, who has eight years left on his 10-year, £500,000-a-week contract with City – though it is believed he will have release clauses written in, especially if City face relegation.
City spent over £450m in the transfer market this summer, with two players signing for over £100m. Fernandez joined from Chelsea in a record £125m move at the end of the window, while Elliot Anderson was sold for £116 million from Nottingham Forest. Midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi also moved from Lille for £85 million. Everton striker Iliman Ndiaye and Palmeiras winger Allan were among other stars to complete transfers in a record-breaking window.
Punishment and fan reaction
A significant financial penalty could also result in City being forced to sell, as well as transfer bans expected for a number of seasons. The eight-time Champions could also lose a large number of their Premier League titles after being found guilty of cheating their way to the top.
Rival fans have lined up to poke fun at the team, with the majority saying the book should be thrown at them to save the integrity of the Premier League. One wrote: "Oasis touring and City in league 2. 90s are back" while another added: "LOL at Noel Gallagher having to head to Crawley away." One person asked: "What was the one charge they were found not guilty on?" and someone answered: "Overcrowding," poking fun at the hordes of empty seats seen in the City ends home and away.
Former advisor's warning
Former City financial advisor Stefan Borson, who advised Man City between 2002 and 2007, told talkSPORT that relegation is likely. He said: "Anything is possible and all hell is now going to break loose, as this is going to go on for weeks and weeks and weeks. It is going to be very hard for City to say anything or to contain the fallout from this scenario and that is without being able to see what is in this decision."
Borson added: "We will almost certainly soon see the decision of the independent commission laid out in great detail, it will give people huge ammunition to attack those individuals and the club. Then we will go into the process, which will be behind closed doors, around the sanction. Man City have denied everything all the way through, they have gone through a process that may have cost more than £100m between the two parties and they have been found to have breached everything. They are in very, very serious trouble."
