Man City rivals' true feelings on Premier League expulsion emerge after 114 guilty charges
Manchester City are staring down the barrel of Premier League expulsion after they were found guilty on 114 charges relating to financial doping and their subsequent refusal to cooperate with an investigation.
Throwing Man City out is just one of the sanctions available to the Premier League, which published the findings of an independent commission on Tuesday after years of deliberation.
The club could also be hit with transfer bans and points deductions, but reports indicate that the appetite for expelling them altogether makes it a genuine prospect.
Read next: Premier League release official statement confirming Man City are guilty with punishment details
Feelings are 'running high' as Man City face Premier League expulsion
City were found guilty of 114 charges that included inflating sponsorship revenues, hiding costs, off-book payment of staff, breaches of financial fair play regulations, and failing to comply with the resulting investigation.
Advert
The club continue to maintain their innocence and will pursue an appeal, but the matter of punishment is now top of the agenda away from the Etihad Stadium and expelling City appears to be a realistic possibility.
"Points deductions don’t feel sufficient," writes Miguel Delaney of The Independent.
"The scale of the impact in the other direction has been far too great. Expulsion would require a special shareholder vote, and a vote of 15, but feeling is currently running that high.
"As regards [City's] potential success in an appeals process, that is open to question. The scope under the remit of the rules is limited.
"The widespread belief in football is that they will attack the process, as with the strategy against UEFA. One big difference is that this is described as a 'rock solid' process."
Portsmouth, Everton and Nottingham Forest have all been given points deductions over financial matters in the Premier League, but no club has ever been thrown out.
Man City have been found to have cheated on a vast scale and could become the first.
"It is football’s worst ever scandal. It warrants a punishment to fit," writes Delaney.
What punishment could Man City face over 114 proven charges?
City's scope for appealing the verdict might be limited by the rules, but the Premier League's suite of potential sanctions is extremely broad.
Under Rule W.51 of the Premier League handbook, City could be hit with fines or points deductions as well as expulsion from the Premier League.
In theory, there could also be a recommendation that matches are replayed or a suspension from playing Premier League matches, while a ban on new player registrations and even the cancellation of existing ones are on the table.
Clearly, some potential punishments are more likely than others. The severity of the sanctions that will now be handed down to City is a matter of some significance when it comes to the future integrity of the league.
Topics: Premier League, Football, Man City
Chris Nee