Manchester City’s case with the Premier League regarding their 115 charges continues to rumble on but a finance expert claims they cannot be relegated if found guilty
Manchester City will not be immediately relegated if they’re found guilty of the 115 charges levelled against them, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire.
The Premier League champions are looking to defend themselves against the competition they play in amid allegations of historic rule breaking. A trial date has been set but a verdict is not expected for sometime as the saga rumbles on.
If found guilty City would face a heavy punishment with some calling for their relegation from the top flight. Maguire though has explained that the Manchester outfit wouldn’t be immediately thrown down to the Championship because they are governed by a different body – the EFL.
Instead the Premier League would have to issue a huge points deduction, the type they couldn’t recover from, if they wanted to oust them from the top flight.
He told The Overlap: “In the case of City, there’s actually three charges. It’s not 115. Has money come in from the owners which they pretend to be from the sponsors? If that is the case, then that is fraud. That is about as serious as it gets.
“And, if found guilty of those charges, then the book will be thrown at Manchester City and it’s going to be a massive points deduction. You can’t relegate them because the Premier League and the EFL are independent bodies, so the EFL doesn’t have to accept them.
“Given the Everton and the Forest points deductions, they were both described by the commission of being “minor breaches”. Well, what Manchester City are being accused of is major breaches over a 9-10 year period. So, you would be looking at somewhere between 60 and 100 points if you go through on a charge by charge basis. So, it would relegate them.”
Maguire is adamant, despite the confidence with the Etihad, that the entire hierarchy at City would have to resign if the verdict went against them. Chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak says he is “frustrated” that the club’s on-pitch achievements continue to be tarred with reminders of the 115 charges lodged against them.
“If Manchester City are found guilty then the whole board of directors has to resign because they will have been found guilty of misrepresentation, effectively lying to a commission,” said the finance expert.
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