The hearing for the reigning Premier League champions, who have consistently clinched the title over the past four seasons, is slated to kick off next month and is expected to stretch over a 10-week period. Despite facing these allegations, City maintains its innocence.
However, if the verdict goes against them, Manchester City might be hit with hefty sanctions. While the exact penalties are under wraps until the hearing, there's buzz around possible fines and points deductions being on the table.
An anonymous executive has speculated that any points deduction could range from 70 to 80 points, virtually ensuring a drop to the Championship. Last season saw City end with 91 points, a whopping 65 points ahead of Luton Town, who were teetering on the edge of relegation.
"The collective view I've heard is that an appropriate sanction would have to be a points deduction so substantial - we are talking here between 70 and 80 points - that it guarantees City a season in the Championship," this exec confided to The Athletic. Another source hinted at the possibility of point reductions spanning three consecutive seasons, which could severely hamper City's aspirations for Champions League glory.
Premier League bigwig Richard Masters called for a quick resolution to City's ongoing case, notably mentioning to BBC Sport: "It is time now for the case to resolve itself," emphasizing the prolonged nature of the situation. "It's been going on for a number of years and I think it's self-evident that the case needs to be heard and answered."
Addressing a DCMS committee last April, Masters looked back at the penalties imposed on Everton and Nottingham Forest in the previous season, stating, "If any club, the current champions or otherwise, had been found in breach of the spending rules for 2023 they would be in exactly the same position as Everton or Nottingham Forest but the volume and character of the charges laid before Man City which I obviously cannot talk about at all are being heard in a completely different environment,".
Pep Guardiola, who is preparing his team for their latest title defense against Chelsea on Sunday, showed no signs of reluctance amidst the allegations, believing in the club's integrity: "At the moment we are innocent until it is proved we are guilty," he declared in 2023, sensing the anticipation for a verdict. "I know the people want it. I know, I feel it. I will wait. Wait and see it and after the sentence has been done we will come here and explain it."
"But absolutely I will not consider my future (if) it depends being here or being in League One. Absolutely. There is more chance to stay if we are in League One than if we were in the Champions League."
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