If found guilty of violating financial fair play rules, Manchester City might lose points and face a hefty punishment, but it doesn’t seem like they can be sent out of the Premier League.
Even if Manchester City is found guilty of the most serious of their 115 alleged violations of the Premier League’s financial regulations, a football finance specialist has maintained that they cannot be demoted from the league. Kieran Maguire acknowledges, though, that any point reduction given to the winners would be so significant that relegation would be unavoidable nevertheless.
As Man City’s FFP crisis has unfolded over the past six months, with the case being heard in London and now reportedly completed, teams like Leicester City and their fellow Premier League strugglers have watched with interest. All that remains is for the eagerly anticipated ruling to be made public, which could have significant ramifications for relegation contenders like the Foxes.
Both sides have the opportunity to appeal the ruling, which is anticipated later this year. However, because the English Football League is not required to accept them, Maguire clarified during a discussion on the Overlap Fan Debate podcast that it was doubtful the Premier League would kick City out and demote them to the Championship.
However, he acknowledged that a substantial point reduction may essentially have the same impact, especially in light of the recent deductions made for Nottingham Forest and Everton during the previous campaign.
Maguire clarified: “There are actually three counts in the City case. It’s not 115. Have the owners received funds that they claim are from the sponsors? That is fraud if that is the case. It doesn’t get much more serious than that. Additionally, Manchester City will be given a severe point deduction and the book will be thrown in their face if they are found guilty of those allegations.
Since the Premier League and the EFL are separate organisations, the EFL is not required to accept them, hence you can’t unilaterally relegate them. You would be looking at somewhere between 60 and 100 points if you go through on a charge by charge basis because City is being accused of major breaches over a nine to ten-year period, whereas Everton and Nottingham Forest’s point deductions from the previous season were both characterised by the commission as minor breaches. They would be demoted as a result.
Maguire expressed doubts about an appeal’s likelihood of success as well, saying: “I believe there are extremely limited grounds for appeal. One of the parties may only file an appeal if the committee’s own actions were in some manner unprofessional.
“If 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.”
