Manchester City have been told they deserve to be demoted to the bottom of the English football pyramid and forced to climb their way back up, following last week's ruling on their financial misconduct charges. An independent commission found City guilty of 114 of the 115 charges levelled against them by the Premier League. The club were deemed to have used 'sham' contracts to conceal more than £830million in funding between 2009 and 2018.
Club denies wrongdoing and appeals
Despite this, City continue to vehemently deny any wrongdoing and have lodged an appeal against the verdict. In the wake of the ruling, the club have adopted a siege mentality, reassuring players and staff that they possess 'irrefutable evidence' that they believe will exonerate them. An independent three-person panel will now oversee City's appeal, with a decision expected before the year is over.
A central pillar of the club's defence is expected to rest on the assertion that the 'sham' deals were entirely legitimate and financed by the Abu Dhabi government, rather than by City's owners at the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG).
Possible sanctions and reactions
The commission holds the authority to relegate City, impose unlimited fines, deduct points or enforce a transfer ban. The question of whether the club could be stripped of titles won during the nine-year period under investigation also remains unanswered.
There has been considerable discussion surrounding potential sanctions for City, with numerous senior figures from the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) sharing their views with the i Paper on appropriate consequences.
"They should go all the way to the bottom of the pyramid," one EFL source told The i Paper. An EFL club executive added: "I don't know all the details, but if they are guilty of all this, at the end of the day, depending on how passionately you believe in it, the integrity of the game is at stake. Why should we be forced to play alongside City as their punishment? Does it make it okay for League One clubs to cheat, if they are playing against Manchester City for points? You have to earn your place in any league in English football. Why should City be placed anywhere?"
Leicester City's spell in League One this season has already illustrated the potential ramifications of having a major club competing in the division, with one senior EFL executive highlighting the heightened interest surrounding their matches.
"We are seeing what having a giant of a club like Leicester City in League One this season does for interest," a senior EFL executive told the newspaper. "We sold out straight away for that. Imagine the demand for City tickets. We have never made losses like this before. We cannot keep going like this, so anything that helps that is a bonus. The chance to go up against a giant like City would get more eyes on the league, attract investors, and get us gate receipts we wouldn't normally get."
Potential impact on local clubs
Under Section W, Rule 54 of the Premier League's rulebook, City could face sanctions ranging anywhere from a formal reprimand to outright expulsion from the competition.
A source with close ties to Manchester's youth recruitment sector also highlighted the wider repercussions that a harsh punishment could have for City. "Local clubs thrive off getting players who drop out of City's academy, who have had a fantastic footballing upbringing there. If they went down the divisions, so many clubs would lose that."
Despite this, there remains considerable uncertainty over the final outcome of City's appeal, with the independent panel now tasked with examining the club's case.
