‘Everybody would love to see it happen’ - Premier League ‘scared’ of relegating Man City to the Championship in FFP case & ‘ridiculous’ £500m fine would mean nothing

Manchester City must face automatic relegation to the Championship if the independent commission finds them guilty of the 115 charges levelled against them, according to former scout Bryan King. The club has been under intense scrutiny since the Premier League initially charged City in February 2023, following a lengthy investigation into financial irregularities spanning nearly a decade.

"The only way you would teach them a lesson is to put them in the Championship," King told Football Insider. "But it's not going to happen, is it? It's not going to happen. And if they fine them a lot of money, so what? They can pay it. If they come up with a figure of £500million or something ridiculous, you know, is that going to go against the fair play thing and the money that they used to run the football club?"

Despite the severity of the allegations, which include failure to provide accurate financial information and lack of cooperation, there is a growing belief that City's influence makes them untouchable. King suggests that while the footballing public may crave a landmark punishment, the institutions in charge may blink when faced with the prospect of demoting a global powerhouse.

"You know, the hardest thing would be points deduction and relegation. But it's not going to happen. Manchester City are too powerful in the Premier League. They're too powerful in England. Everybody would love to see it happen. But are the Premier League and the Football League or the FA, are they strong enough to do it? I don't think so, to be honest," King added.

While the outside world debates their fate, the leadership at Manchester City remains remarkably calm. Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak has pledged to speak openly about the case once a final ruling is delivered. The club continues to maintain its innocence, even as rivals point to the points deductions handed out to Everton and Leicester City as precedent for financial breaches.

Al-Mubarak has been firm about his silence during the legal proceedings, stating: "Let me be as consistent as I've always been - until we have a ruling, I can't say much. Once we have a ruling, believe me, I'll say everything I've wanted to say for the last three years." This defiance suggests the club believes its legal defence will eventually see the charges dismissed entirely.

The sporting world is now in a holding pattern, waiting for the document that could reshape the hierarchy of English football. Legal experts suggest that the independent commission is currently in the drafting stage of its decision, with a public announcement expected shortly. The outcome is expected to either validate the Premier League's regulatory framework or force a total overhaul of how financial rules are enforced.

If City are cleared, the Premier League faces a crisis of authority; if they are found guilty, the scale of the punishment will set the standard for decades to come. With the charges being of such high severity, a simple fine is viewed by many as an insufficient deterrent. However, whether the Premier League has the stomach to enforce a top-flight expulsion remains the multi-million pound question hanging over the Etihad.

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