3 days Ago By Daniel Hepburn
Manchester City ’s highly-anticipated trial into their 115 charges starts on Monday and, per a report from The Telegraph , their Premier League rivals believe that a points deduction would not suffice if they are to be found guilty at the end of the case. Described as an ‘era-defining’ hearing, which is expected to prolong over a period of an initial 10 weeks, Pep Guardiola and Co will be eagerly awaiting the decision as their cemented reputation as a dominant force in English football remains in jeopardy. The club are remaining solely focused on matters on the pitch and have a Champions League clash against Inter Milan on Wednesday to prepare for; though behind the scenes is what has been branded as ‘the Trial of the Century’.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Man City won the Premier League on three occasions across the nine-year period in which they allegedly breached the rules. Premier League Unite Amid City’s Hearing Ahead of the Manchester-based club’s court battle with Premier League officials, The Telegraph has reported that sides in the top flight were not happy with the proposed consequence of the reigning champions - permitting they are found guilty - being hit with a single points deduction . Despite the fact that could mean Manchester City would be demoted to the England second tier, the Championship , there is an ever-increasing feeling among the other 19 teams in the Premier League that that would not be enough.
Even if some of the charges are dropped and Manchester City are found guilty of the majority of the charges, clubs are keen to see them punished fairly given the extent of cheating that would have been proven. Man City could be hit with a catastrophic points deduction, according to a football finance expert. According to the aforementioned report, a senior figure in the world of football has suggested the consequence of docking them points across multiple campaigns, which could, of course, prevent them from rising back up to the top flight with ease.
That said, the report has claimed that the independent commission - who are overseeing the case - do not possess the power to relegate the club in question from the Premier League as it has no jurisdiction over the English Football League (EFL) or the National League. It does say, however, that Guardiola and Co could be expelled from the top flight and, as a result, they’d have to ‘apply’ to join the EFL, who are under no obligation to accept their request. The commercial benefits of having such a European giant plying their trade in England’s lower leagues could, however, sway their decision.
Pep Guardiola Believes All Clubs Want City Punished Last week, La Liga president Javier Tebas came out to back Guardiola ahead of the all-important case being opened to suggest that the club’s top tier rivals are all hoping to see the club punished sufficiently by saying: “I have spoken with many Premier League clubs and most of them understand that City should be sanctioned. When asked whether he had heard Tebas’ recent remarks in his pre-match press conference against Brentford, the Spaniard - regarded as one of the best managers in football history - agreed with the claim . “Maybe he’s right, for the fact that all the Premier League teams want us to be sanctioned, that is for sure.
” Man City - Next Five Fixtures Date / Time (BST) Opponent (H/A) Competition 18/09/24 / 20:00 Inter Milan (H) Champions League 22/09/24 / 16:30 Arsenal (H) Premier League 24/09/24 / 19:45 Watford (H) League Cup 28/09/24 / 19:45 Newcastle Utd (A) Premier League 01/10/24 / 20:00 Slovan Bratislava (A) Champions League.
