Premier League rivals are insisting that Man City should be relegated if they are found guilty of 100-plus financial rule breaches, according to reports.
The news emerged yesterday that the Premier League had charged them with numerous breaches of their financial rules and the governing body and has referred them to an independent commission.
The alleged breaches concerned the reporting of accurate financial information, the submission of details of manager and player pay information within the relevant contracts, a club’s responsibility as a Premier League member to adhere to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations and to the league’s own profitability and sustainability regulations.
The club are also alleged to have breached rules requiring them to co-operate and assist with the Premier League’s investigation into those breaches, which the league says began in December 2018.
Man City issued a statement expressing surprise at the announcement of the alleged rule breaches, which referred to “extensive engagement” with the Premier League on the matter. The club also said they held “irrefutable evidence” in support of their position.
But The Sun claim that their Premier League rivals are ‘demanding blood and a swift verdict and punishment before the end of the season’.
One Premier League CEO told the newspaper: “If these charges are proven there must be proper punishment – and the only fitting one is for them to be relegated.
“We’re talking about a decade of alleged abuses and want the Premier League to do the right thing.”
The Sun add:
‘Privately, City believe the Premier League was bounced into the decision by the looming publication of the Government’s White paper which will set up an Independent Regulator for football.
‘The club feels League chiefs briefed out the announcement to put them on the back foot before the mid-morning ambush but remains adamant the process will end with City entirely in the clear.’
Simon Jordan, who used to own Crystal Palace, reckons Man City should face “the ultimate consequences” if found guilty.
“What we don’t want to be looking at is financial consequences, because that’s not easy for them to overcome, is it?” Jordan said on talkSPORT.
“I like to think that if they’re guilty of the things they’ve been charged with, like any other football club, they get the ultimate consequences. That means points, that means the consideration of what division they play in.
“It means the whole rubicon being crossed and saying we either mean it or we don’t. We have a menu of consequences and the last thing we want to see is Manchester City getting a £50 million fine. They couldn’t care less about a £50 million fine.
“I’m talking about the consequences of their behaviour over a 10-year period. If they’re found guilty of 10 years’ worth of financial misrepresentation, what do you think that looks like? What do you think it means.”
READ MORE: Ten possible punishments for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola after Premier League charges
