Manchester City players are discussing the prospect of relegation after the club was found guilty of prolonged financial misconduct by the Premier League.
An independent commission confirmed on Tuesday that the club had been found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges levelled against them back in 2018, with the official legal decision citing sham sponsorship deals designed to covertly funnel money into the club.
£900m Deals and False Testimony Allegations
It is alleged the club brought in over £900m from the deals, and went out of their way to throw investigators off the scent. Elsewhere, City are accused of misreporting their accounts, and their witnesses have been accused of giving false testimony.
City are able to appeal the decision and must do so by this Friday. The club continues to maintain its innocence and claims to hold “irrefutable evidence” to prove it.
Players Worry Over Sanctions
In the meantime, conversation has turned to the question of potential sanctions, with a severe points deduction bad enough to send them down or expulsion from the Premier League among the mooted measures.
And, per reports from L’Equipe, players are beginning to worry about the prospect of being banished from the Premier League. One agent of a Man City player reportedly told the French newspaper that the squad is buzzing with discussion over the sanctions they might face.
Potential Fire Sale of Top Assets
For the club to be relegated would leave a number of world-class footballers looking for new homes, with City likely to be forced into a fire sale of their top assets.
It remains to be seen what sanction will be imposed, with no penalty expected to be announced until after the appeal process has closed, which it is said could take years.
