Man City FFP: Citizens tipped to avoid relegation as lawyers consider government over ‘pure sporting decision’

Manchester City have been tipped to avoid relegation if they’re found guilty of their alleged 115 breaches of financial fair play as both the Premier League and the government ‘need them’ to remain in the top flight.

A hearing to examine 115 Premier League charges issued against the club, which date back as far as the 2009/2010 season, began on September 16 .

A range of punishments are on the table, including severe points deductions or even expulsion from the Premier League.

City have consistently denied any wrongdoing since being charged by the Premier League in February 2023.

The hearing is reported to have been scheduled for 10 weeks, with the independent commission’s verdict initially not expected until early 2025, though it’s now thought the outcome could be reached before the end of the year.

Former Liverpool midfielder Jason McAteer says he would be “disappointed” if City are found guilty, but believes the independent commission will be considering “outside elements” when making their decision, meaning the Citizens will avoid the most severe sanction.

McAteer told Gambling Zone : “Right now, there’s 115 charges being investigated. Why’s it taken so long when they can find Everton and Forest guilty so quickly? They issued the punishments. I know there’s a lot more charges, and City are innocent until proven guilty, but there’s 115 charges! They’ll be very lucky to get away with every single one of them.

“I have my own take on why it’s taken so long. I think there are a lot of other outside elements to consider that go beyond a purely sporting decision. The lawyers are going at it and they’re trying to find an outcome which suits everybody.

“As a Liverpool fan, if City are found guilty, of course it will disappoint me. Whether you want to use the word cheated or whether you want to say they bent the rules by having really good accountants, it’s still not right.

“Cheating is a very, very strong word, but if that’s what they get caught doing, then of course (I’ll be disappointed).

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“The Liverpool players put so much into their tussles with City over a four-year period. To find out that a team has bent the rules so significantly to gain such a significant advantage – Liverpool lost two potential titles by a single point – and has dominated British football for the last five, six, seven years, then, it would really, really disappoint me. We’re not at that stage yet and we’ll have to see what the outcome is.

“I think if City are found guilty, then financially, they can cope with whatever the fine is. They’ve got bottomless pockets of money, so that’s not really going to hurt them, but from a points perspective, they’re going to have to set an example.

“Even if the league took 40 points off them, they’d still probably finish in the Europa League. A transfer embargo for two or three seasons could be another way of looking at it.

“I don’t think City will get relegated if they’re found guilty. I think the Premier League needs them. I think the government needs them. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”