Premier League expulsion is possible for Manchester City after an independent commission found them guilty of all charges related to serious breaches of the league’s financial rules
Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City could be expelled from the Premier League(Image: Getty Images)
Premier League clubs are reportedly split on expelling Manchester City from the top-flight after they were found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges levelled against them. Some believe City’s rule-breaking should see them kicked out and start again in non-League, while others are said to fear that removing them could lead to the resurrection of a European Super League.
City were the first club to formally commence withdrawal procedures from the ESL back in April 2021, following immense backlash from fans before other teams across the Premier League and Europe followed suit. The Super League project, however, did not fully die out until UEFA announced it had reached “an agreement of principles for the well-being of European club football” with Real Madrid and the European Football Clubs group back in February.
It is not the only concern of some Premier League clubs concerning City’s potential removal. It was reported earlier this week that unnamed executives from two top clubs have admitted that they would be ‘staggered’ if 15 clubs voted to expel City, describing it as ‘commercial suicide’.
The Telegraph claim that there are also arguments from some clubs that the Premier League is better with City in it, while its reputation will be damaged globally without them.
However, the same report also claims that there is a desire, among leading figures at some clubs, to see City thrown out and not even admitted to the EFL, as well as discussions about a potential 200-point deduction applied over several seasons.
Expulsion from the Premier League is one possible punishment that the independent commission could consider, though it would need 15 clubs to vote in favour of it. Transfer embargoes, points deductions and fines are also possibilities.
City were found guilty of all financial-related charges and stand accused of artificially inflating revenue by more than £900million through ‘sham’ sponsorship deals. However, the club have appealed the decision and will now have their challenge heard by a new independent panel of three, appointed by the Premier League’s judicial panel, to determine once and for all whether any wrongdoing was committed.
The former champions claim they have ‘irrefutable evidence’ proving the ‘sham’ deals were legitimate and paid for by the Abu Dhabi government, not by the club’s owners in the Abu Dhabi United Group. The Premier League allow state-owned bodies to sponsor clubs, which could help clear the club of any wrongdoing and prove that AGUD did not manufacture illegitimate deals.
However, that claim has already been undermined by past statements from title sponsors Etihad during a 2015 investigation. The state-owned airline of the United Arab Emirates told the United States Department of Commerce, Transportation, and State that reports of the government paying for sponsorships were “false” during an investigation into state-owned airlines.
A statement at the time read: “We are government-owned and have been since our founding. We are and have always been clear that we do not receive any subsidies from the Abu Dhabi government, and that we are financed through a combination of equity, shareholder and commercial loans.
“Our shareholder’s equity and loans are not subsidies under any applicable definition; they are the means by which the Abu Dhabi government has sensibly invested in a successful business model.”
On Friday, City confirmed their appeal and said in a statement: “The Club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe.
“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. We will continue to respect due process and are necessarily restricted in what we can say further until all proceedings are complete.”
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