Manchester City cannot be “relegated to League Two” as punishment for their ongoing legal battle with the Premier League, a football finance expert has revealed. The Blues were accused of 115 alleged breaches of financial regulations by the Premier League in February 2023 but have denied any wrongdoing.
It’s expected a verdict on the hearing, which started in the autumn and ended in mid-December, will arrive sometime in the spring, with manager Pep Guardiola hinting last month it was close. The alleged breaches span a nine-year period and if found guilty, could return a hefty punishment from the independent commission.
But, according to expert Kieran Maguire, banishment from the Premier League will not be on the table. He told the Manchester Evening News: “I don't think they can relegate the club as such, because this is a Premier League punishment.
“The Premier League doesn't control the EFL, so therefore the commission would have to set a tariff - a punishment that will be so severe in terms of points deductions that it would effectively guarantee relegation. But they can't do what we saw with Rangers and the SPFL and relegate them to League Two or similar.”
That doesn’t mean to say City will get off lightly, with Maguire also explaining: “If Manchester City are found guilty of misrepresentation, which is effectively corporate fraud, then I think we have to be looking at a significant points deduction.
"On the basis that, again, if you read the commission reports for Nottingham Forest and Everton, they stressed that they were minor breaches of the rules. What Manchester City is being accused of, is effectively fraud over a longer period of time. So therefore, the punishment has to be scaled appropriately.
“What I've heard from a few parties already, and I've spoken to a few people, is that it could be that there will be a conclusion as to whether Manchester City are guilty or not guilty of individual charges. But the punishment might not be included in this initial report.”
He concluded: “I think that, in my personal view, is that it creates more problems than solutions. It will just lead to a social media meltdown. It will create expectations. If Manchester City are only found guilty of non-cooperation with the Premier League investigation and I think we can expect something in line with what we saw from UEFA. In that it will be a fiscal penalty.”