Manchester City could face a second points deduction from the EFL if they are relegated to the Championship, according to reports. City are awaiting the outcome of their appeal against the guilty verdict they received last month, and if that appeal is rejected, they could be punished further by the EFL.
Potential punishments on the table
City deny any wrongdoing and insist they have a body of "irrefutable evidence" that will prove their innocence. However, if their appeal is rejected, they would face a range of potential punishments including a fine, points deduction, or expulsion from the Premier League altogether.
It was reported earlier on Monday that the most likely punishment would be to dock so many points that it would effectively be impossible for City to avoid relegation. The Daily Mail now claims that the EFL could impose another deduction on City if they are in the Championship next season.
EFL's stance on a second deduction
This deduction would be significant enough to stop them from getting promoted at the first attempt, meaning they would have to spend at least two seasons in England's second tier. There would be no obligation for the EFL to impose any further punishment, given that City's offences were committed when they were in the Premier League.
However, the report states that EFL bosses would likely approve a second points deduction regardless. That would be a disastrous scenario for City, who would find themselves at risk of losing key players who might not want to spend two seasons in the Championship.
Wider calls for severe punishment
There is a wider appetite within football for the Premier League to make an example of City, given the scale of their wrongdoing over a nine-season period between 2009 and 2018.
Steven Gerrard, who was a member of the Liverpool side that finished second to City in 2013/14, believes any punishment they receive must be extremely serious. Speaking on The Overlap, he said: "There needs to be an example set, historically whether that's a star throughout all the years of their achievements."
"Because then it doesn't matter whether the titles are stripped or not, as soon as that star is there, then everyone knows that [success] happened because of what we all know happened."
"And then there needs to be a punishment moving forward, I don't know what the right one is. I don't think it's fair on the Championship if they go down, because they will be one of the three teams that come up."
"So that takes a slot away from the Championship, so it's not fair on the EFL or the teams playing against City week in, week out."
"I think it's more moving forward in the Premier League, to punish them over a period of time, multi-year punishment, that would be my opinion. I'm not saying that's the right opinion but that's just how I feel."
