Man City punishment revealed as club avoid 'doomsday' scenario

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FT Desk

Manchester City will likely avoid their 'doomsday' scenario when their punishment for financial misconduct is announced.

The club have been found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules over nine seasons, between 2009 and 2018. The charges include providing inaccurate financial information, failing to fully disclose payments to managers and players, and overstating sponsorship income. The Premier League also accused the club of failing to cooperate properly with its investigation.

City deny wrongdoing and have consistently maintained their innocence.

Naturally, every football fan speculated about what kind of punishment City may receive once their appeal is over. Some pundits suggested that the club could be thrown out of the Premier League entirely and forced to start next season in League Two - should the EFL accept their membership.

However, that reportedly will not happen and City will instead be given a points deduction to ensure relegation into the Championship, where they will receive another points deduction next season.

Oliver Holt of the Daily Mail writes:

"It is unlikely, sources close to the process have told me, that City will face a doomsday scenario of being expelled from the Premier League and forced to start again in League Two at the beginning of next season.

"Expulsion would plunge both the Premier League and the EFL into an unprecedented kind of chaos. It would be self-defeating.

"It is thought that the Premier League are pressing for City’s punishment to be announced before the result of their appeal, which is unlikely to be decided before the end of January. Soundings from insiders suggest the most likely punishment is a swingeing points deduction which will ensure City’s relegation to the Championship, plus a huge fine.

"It is also possible that the punishment would include a further points deduction that would effectively confine City to the Championship for at least one more season. The EFL would not be obliged to accept that sanction for one of their clubs but it is probable that they would.

"From there, City should be allowed to rebuild. The intransigence and arrogance of City’s owners have hardened opinion against them but they are already facing the kind of ignominy that will stain them for many years to come."

Man City face a player exodus if they are relegated to the Championship as their £400m+ wage bill would not be compatible with wage regulations in the second tier, while the likes of Erling Haaland will not want to play for a club not in the Champions League.

The head of the Independent Football Regulator previously confirmed when he expects Manchester City to receive punishment after they were found guilty.

David Kogan told Times Radio: “The Premier League have said that they want to get this resolved within season and actually, of course, it’s not the Premier League, it’s an independent commission that’s going to hear this, made of three retired either judges or lawyers.

“My understanding is there is a prescribed process, which is 12 weeks, and so people are assuming this will actually be heard by the middle or the end of January. But as I say, it’s not our process, it’s that of the Premier League’s independent commission. What I don’t think we can do is take any judgment until we’re quite clear.

“Obviously, City claim that they have some form of silver bullet to put off these charges and win the appeal, and we’re not there to judge whether that’s right or wrong yet, but I think we’ll know in the early part of next year.”

Kogan insisted he would quit as head of the Independent Football Regulator if there was any political interference in the City case, following Prime Minister Andy Burnham's comment that he would be "concerned" if the club's Abu Dhabi ownership pulled funding out of the country.