Piers Morgan has demanded that Manchester City be relegated and stripped of titles after an independent commission recognized serious Premier League financial rule breaches
Piers Morgan has made his view clear
Piers Morgan has made his view clear(Image: Getty Images)
TV personality Piers Morgan has demanded that Manchester City be relegated and stripped of its "fraudulently won titles" after the Premier League's confirmation that an Independent Commission had found the club guilty of the majority of charges leveled against it.
City was found guilty of "all charges related to serious breaches of the Premier League's financial rules over a nine-season period, and the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League's investigation."
The club's violations include "sham" deals that artificially inflated their revenues by more than £900 million (around $1.2 billion). City strongly denies the charges and is widely expected to lodge an appeal before the Friday deadline.
The Independent Commission will convene a further hearing to determine the penalties City must face, with a non-exhaustive list of potential punishments outlined within the regulations. These include fines, points deductions and additional sporting sanctions.
Morgan was unequivocal in his demands regarding Manchester City's fate.
"IT'S OFFICIAL: The @premierleague confirms Manchester City are the biggest cheats in British football history," he posted on X. "Punishment must hurt: Relegate them, strip them of their fraudulently won titles + dock them 25pts for first 5 seasons if/when they get back in the Premier League."
Manchester City has been found guilty of 114 charges of breaching Premier League financial regulations
Manchester City has been found guilty of 114 charges of breaching Premier League financial regulations(Image: Getty Images)
Following the confirmation of City's guilt, the club claimed to possess "irrefutable evidence" supporting its innocence.
A statement read: "Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission, that has been published today.
"The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case. The Club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.
"The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted. Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.
"The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.
"The Club is obviously restricted in what it can say further until all future proceedings are complete."
City's CEO, Ferran Soriano, informed club staff of an alleged "Premier League conspiracy," asserting that key evidence had been disregarded during the proceedings.
"This has gone for so long that it is important to remind ourselves that the whole Premier League case against us is based on a single false accusation — that the owners' personal money was somehow and secretly put into the club via some sponsors from Abu Dhabi. This is just not true," he said in a leaked video.