A former Premier League chief executive has suggested what Manchester City 'could accept' if they are found guilty of the most serious charges in their 115 charges case.
City were charged with 115 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules back in February 2023.
Some of the charges relate to UEFA rules, while the exact number is believed to be closer to 130 due to a Premier League reporting error. Both the Premier League and City have previously declined to comment on this.
City strenuously deny the charges against them, with an eight-week public hearing having been held between October and December 2024.
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A verdict was expected to be announced towards the end of last season, but there is still yet to be any public announcement on the matter.
Speaking on the latest episode of Football Insider's 'Inside Track' podcast, former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness claims that a points deduction of 60 points, if City are found guilty of more serious charges, 'would make sense' in terms of a potential punishment.
"Look, it is the sort of penalty I would think, if they were found guilty, I think 60 points would make sense," Wyness said.
"And I think it could be something that City could accept if they were found guilty.
"But of course, there'll be an appeal anyway [regardless of the verdict, as both City and the Premier League can appeal].
"So if it was 60 points, that'll probably be reduced as well."
Wyness' comments follow those from ex-Aston Villa and Liverpool director Christian Purslow, who said on 'The Football Boardroom' - co-hosted by journalist Henry Winter - that the judges' verdict would have to take 'the land of precedent' into account.
"My point is a simple one," he stated. "When this is left to the judges, however frustrating it is that that takes so long, will be in the land of precedent.
"The precedent is sporting sanction. The sporting sanction is likely to be major points deductions, which ultimately could translate into relegation."
And football finance expert Kieran Maguire - whose comments Wyness was referring to - stated during a recent appearance on The Overlap's Fan Debate that City could face a major points deduction, but would not be relegated as the EFL are not involved in any adjudication or cases against the club.
"The Premier League cannot relegate Manchester City to League One or League Two, because that is an EFL decision, and Manchester City have not had any charges proven against them by the EFL," Maguire said.
"If we take a look at precedence, we have had Everton and Nottingham Forest with six and four-point deductions for a single offence covering a three-year period.
"The accusations against Manchester City cover a nine-year period, so it is far bigger.
"I think you have to add a zero to what we've seen in terms of Forest and Everton, so somewhere between a 40 and 60-point deduction would be, on merit, to be consistent with what we've seen with other decisions."
Man City's 115 charges in full
Here is the full list of publicly known charges against Manchester City:
- Failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 - 54 alleged breaches
- Failure to co-operate with Premier League investigations from December 2018 - February 2023 - 35 alleged breaches
- Failure to provide accurate financial reports for player and manager compensation from 2009/10 to and including 2017/18 - 14 alleged breaches
- Breaches of Premier League profitability and sustainability regulations from 2015/16 to and including 2017/18 - Seven alleged breaches
- Failure to comply with UEFA's regulations, including UEFA's Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations - Five alleged breaches
Topics: Manchester City, Premier League, Football
Ryan Smart