Man City FFP: Pundit demands ‘strongest possible’ punishment amid ‘National League’ expulsion claim
Stan Collymore has argued that Manchester City should be given the “strongest possible” punishment if they are found guilty of breaching FFP rules.
Man City are facing over 100 charges after being accused of breaching the Premier League’s Financial Fair Play rules. This followed a four-year probe into their conduct between 2009 and 2018.
If found guilty, Pep Guardiola’s side could be given a huge fine, points deduction, transfer ban or even be expelled from the Premier League.
Earlier this year, Man City fought back against the Premier League as they campaigned for the removal of Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules.
This hearing has already been finalised and it’s been reported that Man City ‘achieved some success’.
The verdict has not been revealed as it’s unlikely to be made public until the FFP case – which began at the start of this week – has finished.
It is understood that if the APT case could dramatically alter the FFP hearing as if Man City were successful, it would significantly change their situation as a large portion of their reported 115 charges could become redundant.
READ: Man City stars reassigned after FFP ‘expulsion’: Foden to Chelsea as Arsenal land centre-back
However, Collymore claims Man City “should be starting in the National League” if they are found guilty.
“If they are found guilty they should be starting, in my opinion, in the National League,” Collymore told Caught Offside.
“Getting relegated to the Championship and having two or three windows where they’re not allowed to compete in the transfer market isn’t likely to see any of their big names leave.
“If, however, you’re kicked out of the Premier League and you’re kicked out of the Football League, that really sends out the strongest possible message. And the reality is that the National League would welcome them with open arms, because it’s Man City, and they would generate a significant amount of revenue.”
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“Allegedly, it’s taken the club a number of years to run roughshod over the rules in order to be able to get a competitive advantage over other clubs, so it has to follow that it takes a number of years to get back up to the Premier League.
“Erling Haaland, Rodri and Jack Grealish et al aren’t staying put if their best years of their playing career are spent in the lower reaches of the English football pyramid.
“If we look back in 10 years and see City have had dropped down one division whilst winning 15 trophies, the owners of other big clubs are likely to think that’s a risk worth taking.”
Despite this, former Man City financial advisor Stefan Borson has dropped an ’emphatic expulsion claim’ in an interview with Football Insider as he explains why they are ‘unlikely to be expelled from all competitions if they are found guilty in their 115 charges case’.
He said: “I don’t think it’s likely. I suspect what that’s talking about is the consequential expulsions that could come following an independent commission decision.
“It’s not within the remit of the independent commission to expel them from those competitions. It would need to be the organisers of those competitions.
“I think anything is possible in that wide way you have to look at this because it’s all uncharted territory, but I think that is unlikely.
“It’s much more likely to be quite a simple Premier League penalty and then placed in one of the lower divisions. But I just think it’s too difficult to say on the specifics of it.”
