PL execs: expelling Man City a 'risk not worth taking' — SkimNews
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- Manchester City was found guilty of all but one of 115 financial charges earlier this week by an independent commission, with available punishments ranging from a fine and points deduction to a transfer embargo and expulsion; the club maintains its innocence and has vowed to fight the judgment.
- Premier League executives at two top-level clubs told Sky Sports News they would be "staggered" and "amazed" if rival clubs voted to expel Manchester City, with one calling it akin to "cutting off their noses to spite their faces" because of City's commercial centrality to the league.
- Broadcasters in the UK and abroad would likely seek refunds if only 19 clubs played out the season, one executive warned, with sponsorship and corporate funding also at risk — making expulsion "a risk not worth taking" according to a rival club source.
- Manchester City stars like Erling Haaland and Phil Foden would face uncertain futures under expulsion, a source said, further threatening the Premier League's commercial attractiveness if the team no longer booted.
- Championship club directors told Sky Sports News they see "absolutely no" benefit to Manchester City dropping into their division, arguing City's wealth would let them blow the league away and go straight back up while "killing a promotion spot" for other clubs.
- The FA and EFL's 72 clubs would hold Man City's fate if expelled, requiring a majority vote for City to enter the English Football League, with Championship sources saying such a decision should be "for us to decide" and that City "should have to earn their way back up."
- Rival Premier League clubs are considering their own legal positions regarding possible financial claims against Manchester City, with internal and inter-club discussions ongoing about how to react to the verdict.
Why it matters: Manchester City's commercial leverage — from broadcast reach to Haaland and Foden's global appeal — means rivals are unlikely to support the harshest sanction, leaving a fine or points deduction as the more realistic outcome despite the guilty verdict on 114 of 115 charges. For Championship clubs, who fear being stuck with a wealthy relegated giant that would dominate their league, even a relegated Man City is not an acceptable solution.
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