Will Man City be relegated? What we know about potential Premier League expulsion
It’s a question many have asked regarding Manchester City’s legal battle against the Premier League: will they get relegated if found guilty?
Perhaps the more accurate question is how feasible a possibility is this. While it is common knowledge that the Blues ‘could’ be expelled from the top-flight, answering how likely this truly is pertains a more complex discussion.
Of course, if the club is found innocent then the debate becomes moot. Man City strongly deny all of the hundred-plus charges levelled at them in February 2023 and therefore should be treated innocent until proven otherwise, despite the number of charges against them.
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The onus is on the Premier League to back up its allegations with sufficient evidence as much as it is Man City’s to argue their innocence. If the Premier League does win the case, then pressure will mount to hand down appropriate sanctions.
What if Man City are found guilty?
The severity of punishments will likely depend on which and how many of the counts Man City have been found guilty of. The charges can broadly be split into categories of illicit financing, un-cooperation, and the breaking of UEFA and Premier League finance rules.
Clearly, some breaches will be considered more grievous than others and there might be a scenario where the club is found guilty on some counts and not on others - for example, being reprimanded for un-cooperation but not on counts of illicit financing or competition cash-rule infringements.
It is thought that, given the unprecedented scale of the case, all punishments are on the table upon a guilty verdict. That includes points deductions, the stripping of titles between the specified allegation period of 2009 and 2018, and indeed relegation.
Where are the relegation powers outlined?
The Premier League handbook details that an independent commission does have the power to “recommend that the League expels the Respondent [the club or person in question] from membership in accordance with the provisions of Rule B.6”.
What does Rule B.6 say?
“...The League may expel a Club from membership upon a special Resolution to that effect being passed by a majority of not less than three-quarters of such members as (being entitled to do so) vote by their representatives or by proxy at a General Meeting of which notice specifying the intention to propose the Resolution has been duly given.”
A lot of jargon there but essentially, it would be the league itself that would have to vote on and implement the act of relegation with at least a 75% majority, given the commission can only ‘recommend’ it.
In Section 51.4 of the handbook, however, the commission holds the right to directly suspend clubs from match participation and directly hand out points deductions, as seen with Everton and Nottingham Forest.
Could Man City appeal the sanctions?
As seen with the cases regarding Everton and Leicester City, handing out punishments is not necessarily the end of the story.
With Leicester, another commission earlier this month found that the Premier League had no right to charge them with cash rules breaches given that the club was not one of its members for the timeframe and dates specified.
As for Everton, who admitted fault, a separate independent panel in February found that the Premier League, via an independent panel, was unjust in handing them a 10-point deduction for cash breaches, and reduced it to six.
So, even though Everton conceded guilt, the club felt the punishment handed out by the commission was overly harsh. They appealed and had the sanctioned reduced, or changed.
It is unclear whether Man City would be afforded the same opportunity in regards to relegation, given a commission can only recommend it, rather than directly hand it out as it can a points deduction. But possibly and perhaps probably.
What do the lawyers say?
Speaking to The Athletic, one lawyer outlined the probability of relegation being handed out. “Expulsion from the Premier League wouldn’t be just hyperbole - it would be a realistic outcome if they were found guilty of the charges,” they said.
“If, on the other hand, some of the charges like those involving Mancini aren’t as clear-cut as people think and we’re talking about multiple PSR breaches, you might be looking at a 30-point deduction.
“There are probably four outcomes; they’re acquitted, there’s a huge fine and small points deduction, there’s a huge points deduction or they’re kicked out of the league.
"But we just don’t know without seeing the in-depth evidence. And just because someone has been charged 115 times, it doesn’t mean they’re guilty.”