Expulsion or relegation from the Premier League is a serious possibility for Manchester City after the club was found guilty of financial charges, and it appears to be on the minds of its players
Manchester City FC players
Manchester City players are already said to be 'fearing relegation' after the club was found guilty of 114 financial charges(Image: Getty Images)
Manchester City's players are said to be genuinely fearing Premier League relegation after the club was found guilty of financial charges spanning nine seasons between 2009 and 2018 this week.
Following a four-year Premier League investigation, an independent commission finally revealed on Tuesday that City had engaged in several severe breaches, ranging from arranged "sham" commercial deals and contracts to the deliberate concealment of the true state of its finances.
As a result, the reigning Carabao Cup and FA Cup champion is now at risk of several serious punishments for its actions, including massive points deductions or heavy financial fines, expulsion or relegation from the Premier League, and being stripped of the titles it won during the nine-season period.
City has, of course, strongly denied all wrongdoing and already pledged to be relentless in clearing its name, after being given until Friday, October 2, to formally submit its appeal.
However, despite the club's official statement protesting its innocence and claiming that "irrefutable evidence" supports its position, it would appear that some of the club's players are already fearing the worst.
According to the French outlet L'Equipe, an agent of a City player has said there is genuine concern within the squad that the team will be relegated from the Premier League.
Liverpool FC players
Next up for Man City is a daunting trip to face Liverpool at Anfield(Image: Getty Images)
Whether City is ultimately relegated from the English top flight depends on the severity of the upcoming punishment and the club's planned appeal.
While the Premier League itself cannot directly hand the club down to the English Football League (EFL), since they are two separate organizations, it can all but ensure that City drops out of the top flight.
This can happen in one of two ways: the Premier League hands City such a large points deduction that it would almost certainly trigger automatic sporting relegation to the Championship, or at least 15 rival Premier League clubs vote to expel The Cityzens entirely, ensuring they will no longer be a top-flight club.
The latter of these two options would be the worst-case scenario for City, as it wouldn't just drop to the Championship — it would have to apply to the Football Association (FA) to be reintegrated somewhere lower down the English football pyramid (such as League Two or the National League).
Either way, the chance of City playing outside the top division of English football as early as next season is increasingly likely, and it is now seeping into the minds of the club's current players.
It remains to be seen whose agent has revealed this to L'Equipe.
From a Liverpool point of view, it is certainly welcome news, given that the club's first game back after the international break is against City at Anfield, meaning that the Reds' opponents could be far from switched on for such an important tie.