Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has predicted what Man City's players will do if relegation is confirmed after the Etihad side was found guilty on the vast majority of its charges
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has reacted to Manchester City's guilty verdict
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has reacted to Manchester City's guilty verdict(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for BGC Group)
Jamie Carragher says Manchester City's big players might be able to stomach one season in the Championship if the Etihad side is relegated — calling for a more impactful punishment.
The Liverpool legend believes that, having been found guilty of wrongdoing over a number of years, the sanctions that Manchester City face, if an appeal is not successful, should run for a similar time period.
And Carragher also says that a one-off relegation — just one of several options on the table for the Premier League when it comes to deciding what happens next with Manchester City — would not be sufficient as a long-term penalty.
"I've heard people talk about a 100-point deduction, but that’s just over one season that gets them relegated and then they will come back again," Carragher said on The Overlap, which is sponsored by Sky Bet.
"Looking at the current players, a few of them would leave, but I think some of them would say, 'I could put up with that for a year.' It also builds a connection with the supporters; it’ll be seen in a great light.
"But I think because this has gone on for so long, I do think the punishment should be over a number of years — three to five years, and then players would move on.
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Carragher has offered his opinion
Carragher has offered his opinion(Image: JMEnternational/Getty Images)
"But then you've got the financial aspect of how can they afford the wages of those players if they haven’t got Premier League money?
"If they're having to pay all this money out and you can only spend the money that you're bringing in. They’ll have to abide by it now."
City has appealed the verdict and continues to maintain innocence. It remains to be seen how much longer the process has left.
"These owners, I said straight away that I don’t know how they can continue," Carragher added. "How can you ever trust them if they’re found guilty of this?
"The problem being is my worry for it is it won’t be a case of, if they lose the appeal, 'OK, yeah, we’ll get on, we’ll take our punishment.'
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"I think because of where they’re from, the power they have, the finances they have, they’ll never admit they were wrong in this, and they would always say we were wronged.
"This was a sham, the Premier League as such, or different people. And I think they’ll keep just dragging it on and I think it’ll just drag the game into the gutter.
"And it almost needs sorting out for the game, but also for Manchester City, their support to move on from it. And I don’t think they’d ever be able to move on from it with those people."