Manchester City have been found guilty on all but one of the 115 charges against them
Manchester City have been found guilty on all but one of the 115 charges against them (Image: Getty)
Manchester City have been warned to expect a massive points deduction as the bare minimum after being found guilty of breaking Premier League financial rules.
Among other infringements, they were deemed to have arranged "sham" contracts with commercial partners as part of a scheme to disguise over £830million in secret funding.
The independent commission responsible for the investigation also found that City failed to cooperate to the fullest extent, instead making "concerted efforts to stop and frustrate" the process.
The club have denied any wrongdoing and have appealed the result of the investigation, which they are calling an "opinion". They say they have a body of "irrefutable evidence" that will prove their innocence.
If their appeal fails, a range of potential punishments could be handed down. A fine, points deduction, expulsion from the Premier League and stripping of titles won between 2009 and 2018 are among the options on the table.
Emile Heskey, the former England international, believes that anything less than a significant points deduction will be an injustice.
He also thinks rival Premier League teams could decide to take matters into their own hands over potential losses of earnings.
Speaking to Express Sport on behalf of Casinolyze, Heskey said: "The punishment should be huge, especially given how long this has gone on for. The reality is, if you asked everyone to be honest with themselves, they're not shocked by this, are they?
"Having said that, the amount and the magnitude of it is significant. Where will they end up, is it League Two? Is it the National League?
"It's going to be interesting and a huge points deduction is the bare minimum, then I wonder where it will end because clubs will say they got relegated on the back of it.
The club are still waiting to discover the outcome of the appeal process
The club are still waiting to discover the outcome of the appeal process (Image: Getty)
"Clubs will say they could’ve had Europe. Players will say they missed out on bonuses or had their salaries cut. This could go on for years."
It's already been reported that Manchester United have internally evaluated the financial consequences stemming from the City scandal.
United players could potentially have grounds for compensation claims after being denied Champions League qualification and league titles by their cross-city rivals during the period they are accused of breaching regulations.
Playing staff typically see their weekly salaries cut by 25 per cent when failing to qualify for UEFA's most profitable competition. For the majority of players, this is believed to amount to millions of pounds.