Manchester City's legal battle with the Premier League has been called a "disaster" for English football, with pundits predicting a 60-point deduction if the club's appeal against 114 financial charges fails.
The former champions were found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League, a decision they have appealed. City maintain their innocence and confirmed they had submitted an appeal, with an outcome expected in the New Year.
Appeal process and potential sanctions
Under Premier League rules, an appeal hearing should be completed within 12 weeks, with the panel then having up to 30 days to issue its decision. If the appeal fails, City face the prospect of a points deduction, a huge fine, or even expulsion from the league.
Former striker and pundit Ally McCoist expressed sadness over the situation, noting that the punishment is bound to upset some clubs amid reports that rivals are pushing for the most serious penalties if City are found guilty again.
Pundits weigh in on possible punishment
McCoist addressed comparisons to the case in which Rangers were relegated through the divisions in Scotland in 2012. "Man City being compared to Rangers? I get the comparison a little bit," he said in an interview with talkSPORT Bet.
"There are no real comparisons in the legalities of it, but I understand the sentiment. If City lose the appeal, no matter what happens, people will be unhappy with the level of punishment," McCoist added.
"Some will think it's too light, others too harsh. It leaves an overall sense of sadness more than anything else that we can't get this resolved sooner. I understand there's a legal and appeals process to go through, but it's a disaster for the English game."
Meanwhile, former Liverpool, Leicester, Birmingham and Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey predicted City will face a 60-point deduction as punishment, which would likely condemn them to relegation.
Heskey predicts relegation battle
"As for the off-field legal issues and their appeal, it's so complex that it won't be resolved quickly or sorted this season," Heskey said, via BestBettingSites.
"Both sides are going to throw arguments back and forth, and it could go on for a year or more. Whether it ends in a massive points deduction or relegation, nobody knows yet, but it's not getting settled straight away."
"I think they will probably get a 60-point deduction, but say City get 90-something points, or 100 – well, then they could stay up. They've got a chance. If they end up staying up, then I'm not sure that's the right punishment from the point of view of other clubs. They will probably go into the Championship, but people will have questions about whether they should go into League One or League Two, instead."
Heskey added that he would not be surprised if there is negotiation behind the scenes to find an outcome acceptable to everyone, a process that could last a year.
