Manchester City
Ex-Manchester City chairman David Bernstein has called for the removal of the current board in the wake of the club’s guilty verdict.
City were found guilty of all Premier League financial breaches against them by an independent commission on Tuesday.
Khaldoon Al-Mubarak and Ferran Soriano3
Man City chiefs Khaldoon Al-Mubarak and Ferran Soriano must find a way to overturn the charges levelled at the club in an upcoming appeal
The club were found to have arranged ‘sham’ contracts with a host of their commercial partners to artificially inflate the club's revenues by around £900m.
City also failed to co-operate in good faith with the Premier League during the investigation.
Club chiefs insist they are innocent and are ‘surprised’ at the panel’s decision. They have until Friday to appeal the decision.
It is understood that the Premier League are eager to conclude the case at the earliest opportunity.
Should they fail in their appeal, then City are facing unprecedented sanctions that could result in a heavy points deduction or even expulsion from the Premier League.
Bernstein, a boyhood Manchester City fan who acted as chairman from 1998 to 2003, has slammed the club’s dealings over the nine-year period in question and says the position of the current board is now untenable.
Bernstein: Throw the book at Man City board
"I can't think of a penalty strong enough for this, really. I mean, this is absolutely terrible,” Bernstein told talkSPORT Drive.
“I want to raise another question, and that is the position of the board of directors. Because the directors of the club, including the chief executive, who's been there for years and went through this through this period, are responsible for the running of the club in every respect.
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“And again, if this was a public company of some sort, I think the directors with something as serious as this, would have to stand down or be suspended pending the outcome of all this... appeal or no appeal.
“I don't think the present management can credibly continue. Now, I doubt if the Abu Dhabi owners would be very happy with that possibility.”
Manchester City chairman David Bernstein holds the Division 1 winners' trophy, April 2001.3
Ex-City chairman David Bernstein has called for harsh punishments if the club are unable to overturn the verdict
Manchester City CEO Ferran Soriano sent a video message to Manchester City staff on Tuesday evening defending the club’s innocence in the face of the damning verdict.
He went on to describe the outcome as a conspiracy theory created by the Premier League.
Bernstein doubled down on his criticism of the board, accusing them of ‘abuse’ while sparing a thought for the club’s supporters.
“What credibility can a board of directors have who've been involved in systematic abuse over a long period?,” Bernstein added.
"You feel sorry for the City fans. I am a City fan of 70 years. I've supported the club. So this is, you know, I find this really doubly hard.
“I don't know the answer,” he continued. “And part of the reason is that until we understand where we are with the appeal process, you know, we don't know whether something's going to be imposed quickly or what.”
Ferran Soriano3
Ferran Soriano, now engaged in a huge legal battle with the Premier League, insists the club are innocent
Bernstein then proposed a major sanction for the club in the event that they fail in their upcoming appeal against the charges.
Time to go
“If this got settled now, you could see one source scenario and set of penalties,” he said.
“But if it drags on for a year or two, heaven forbid, that would be the worst thing for everybody. But if it did, then you'd have a different situation. So it's a little difficult to predict. But all I would say is that money is not sufficient now.
“But if this, if these charges stand now and let's say the appeal does not happen or fails, then I'm afraid for the club I love that they've got to come out of the Premier League. This is beyond awful."