Finance expert Kieran Maguire has stated that Manchester City are unlikely to face relegation from the Premier League even if they’re found guilty of the severest among their 115 alleged financial rule breaches. However, he did say that a significant points deduction could spell inevitable relegation for the club, during his comments on the Overlap Fan Debate.
City have presented their case at an independent tribunal where the Premier League laid out its own arguments, with the evidence now being assessed. A verdict is expected sometime this year, and both sides will be able to appeal the decision.
Maguire elucidated that relegation is probably off the table mainly because the EFL isn’t required to take on the team if expelled from the Premier League. He noted, although, that a considerable points penalty could essentially relegate them, referring to recent penalties imposed on Everton and Nottingham Forest.
The finance pundit said: “In the case of City, there’s actually three charges. It’s not 115. Has money come in from the owners which they pretend to be from the sponsors? If that is the case, then that is fraud. That is about as serious as it gets.
“And, if found guilty of those charges, then the book will be thrown at Manchester City and it’s going to be a massive points deduction.
“You can’t relegate [expel] them because the Premier League and the EFL are independent bodies, so the EFL doesn’t have to accept them. Given the Everton and the Nottingham Forest points deductions, they were both described by the commission of being ‘minor breaches’. Well, what Manchester City are being accused of is major breaches over a nine to ten year period. So, you would be looking at somewhere between 60 and 100 points if you go through on a charge by charge basis. So, it would relegate them.”
“I think there are very narrow grounds for appeal. It’s only if the conduct of the committee itself was unprofessional in some way that one of the parties can potentially make an appeal. If Manchester City are found guilty then the whole board of directors has to resign because they will have been found guilty of misrepresentation, effectively lying to a commission.”
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