Guardiola has been backed to ditch Man City if relegated down the divisions
Three separate sources have predicted Manchester City will be booted out of the Premier League if found guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play, while Pep Guardiola has been tipped to perform a U-turn on remaining loyal to the club.
Man City vehemently denied any wrongdoing when accused of breaching Financial Fair Play on 115 separate occasions. Those charges were levied against the club in February of 2023 and their case is finally expected to be heard this coming Autumn. However, a final ruling may not arrive until the Spring of 2025.
Points deductions handed down to Everton and Nottingham Forest this term have heightened calls for a speedier resolution to City’s case.
However, given the accusations against City date all the way back to the 2009/10 season and there are 115 charges, their case is far more complex.
The commission that ruled on Forest’s recent four-point deduction clarified how they reached their decision on the type of punishment handed down.
In doing so, Robert Glancy KC, sports law specialist Mark Hovell and accountancy expert Steve Holt confirmed “expulsion from the Premier League” is a very real possibility for more severe breaches.
The commission stated potential punishments “range from a warning through to expulsion from the Premier League”.
They added: “Where a PSR breach is ‘minor’, then it will be for other commissions to determine if any points deduction is necessary, appropriate or proportionate.
“But if the breach is properly described as ‘major’ then it may be the case that even a very severe sanction such as expulsion is more appropriate.”
According to the Sun, the scale of the allegations made against City would almost certainly put them in the ‘major’ breaches category.
Expulsion talk grows
Former Everton and Aston Villa CEO, Keith Wyness, recently suggested that Premier League “expulsion” is now “on the table” for Man City “for the first time.”
Now, speaking to Football Insider, former England international, Paul Robinson, agreed expulsion from the top flight is possible. However, the ex-goalkeeper did state that level of punishment would be “harsh.”
“First of all, we have to look at it from a Man City point of view,” said Robinson.
“They’re absolutely adamant that they have not done anything wrong and they’re fighting the case the whole way, hence why it is taking so long.
“They’re quite confident that they can make this go away. Four points for Forest, six points for Everton for one breach – can you imagine what Man City have breached if they are found guilty?
“You only have to look at Rangers when they were expelled from the league. The way that it’s been run so far – nothing is impossible with the sanctions.
“There’s not a list of punishments that fit the crime. They’re each dealt with on an individual basis. Forest got less of a deduction [than Everton] because they played ball.
“There’s no level playing field for each crime. Everton and Forest were charged with the same thing, but they were both dealt with differently.
“If you look at City, who knows what’s going to happen? If they are found guilty, expulsion could be a possibility, but harsh.”
Guardiola could walk away?
One potential outcome floated in the media if City are found guilty is dropping all the way down to League Two.
Pep Guardiola has publicly stated he’ll remain loyal to Man City and won’t desert the club if that is the end result. That came on the back of Guardiola revealing City chiefs have given him assurances they have done nothing wrong.
However, speaking to Football Insider, former CEO Wyness suggested Guardiola would quit the club if the severest of punishments are handed out.
“I think he’s already been given assurances that there was no wrongdoing, and if that turned out not to be the case – he would go,” Wyness told FI.
“A negative decision for Man City would have a lot of ramifications.
“I’m sure Pep Guardiola would not want to manage a club in League Two, so I think he probably would go. It wouldn’t work out very well for him to stay, would it?”
