With Everton facing a fresh points deduction and Nottingham Forest also in the dock for potential financial issues, Man City are likely to be quaking in their boots.
Though it must be said that the club are very much innocent until proven guilty, one of City’s former financial advisors has spelt out just how bad things will be for the current Premier League and European champions if they’re found guilty of the 115 charges being levelled against them.
“The scale is on a completely different level [to Everton and Forest],” Stefan Borson was quoted as saying on talkSPORT (h/t Manchester Evening News).
“There can be no question that this will end in at least relegation – that’s no question, if those charges are proven. There’s a suggestion of conspiracy over effectively a 10-year period.
“They [Premier League] are suggesting that City’s main sponsorship agreements are not for £50-60m but are actually for £8m and the whole thing was a sham.
“That a whole load of people lied and a whole load of executives from multiple companies were in on it and that the club also lied to multiple other parties. Professionals, people doing due diligence on the company, the league, UEFA, the FA.
“If proven, this is super serious. Nobody would argue with that. City themselves in their submission – I promise you, because they’ve said it to CAS [Court of Arbitration for Sport] – will say this is an allegation of the most serious nature.”
The scale of the operation to uncover and unravel the detail is unprecedented in the game, and it’s believed that nothing will be heard via the official channels until at least summer 2025.
Man City will undoubtedly employ best in class lawyers to pore over the minutiae, and were any charges to be forthcoming, there’s some certainty to them being appealed, thus delaying any penalty further.
Given that Everton have already received a 10-point deduction and it’s believed the Premier League want to ensure the new charge against them – as well as the one against Forest – is dealt with by the end of the current campaign, it’s clearly a most unsatisfactory situation for many that City’s eventual punishment could be years away.