Man City FFP: PL rivals ‘want serious sanction’ with ‘very angry’ response on ‘cheating’ predicted
It has been suggested that Manchester City’s Premier League would ‘want a serious sanction’ if Pep Guardiola’s side are found guilty of breaching FFP rules.
The Premier League champions were charged at the start of 2023 after being accused of breaching over 100 Financial Fair Play rules. This followed a four-year probe into their conduct between 2009 and 2018.
If Man City are found guilty of the charges, they could be given a huge fine, points deduction, transfer ban or even be expelled from the Premier League.
This case has already dragged on longer than most would have liked, but a further spanner was thrown into the works at the start of this year.
This came as Man City launched a legal battle against the Premier League as they were campaigning for the removal of Associated Party Transaction (APT) rules.
This case has already been heard but it’s yet to be revealed whether the verdict was in Man City’s favour.
The decision is unlikely to be made public until the FFP hearing – which started earlier this week – concludes. A recent report claimed the initial verdict of this case could not be finalised until next year.
READ: Man City stars reassigned after FFP ‘expulsion’: Foden to Chelsea as Arsenal land centre-back
Former Everton and Aston Villa CEO Keith Wyness has been asked about the situation in an interview with Football Insider.
He reckons ‘Liverpool and Co. want a serious sanction’ if their Premier League rivals are ‘found guilty of cheating’.
Wyness explained: “It’s a difficult position to be in for the other clubs.
“You know this is damaging the Premier League, the competition you are a shareholder in.
“The clubs want to see justice done in some way, but the circus is going to damage every club in the top flight. I think the other sides will want a speedy resolution, which we might not get.
“These clubs will want justice to be seen to be done. If it’s a technicality and Man City get off, just like Leicester did, then they’ll be very angry.
“If Man City have cheated, then they’ll want them to be penalised. As a CEO, I’d want a serious sanction.”
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Former Premier League boss Sam Allardyce has explained why he thinks Man City will be given a points deduction if they are found guilty.
“If it’s on the three counts then possibly 10 points maybe 12, if it’s really big, maybe 15,” Allardyce said.
“People are talking about relegation, but if it’s just boiling down to those three, then it’s a point deduction and they can live with that fine and will get on with it.
“Everybody will say it won’t be enough and they (City) should be relegated. We won’t really understand it because they won’t release exactly what’s happened behind the scenes.
“If there’s no appeal after that and Man City have to take it on the chin, they will get on with it. If there’s another appeal avenue, then Man City will exploit it if they’re unhappy with the outcome because that’s their right.”