The Premier League cannot relegate reigning champions Manchester City if they are found guilty of the 115 financial charges levelled against them, according to a football finance expert.
In February 2023, the Citizens were charged by the Premier League with breaking financial rules between 2009 and 2018 following a four-year investigation.
Man City are alleged to have failed to provide accurate financial information relating to sponsorship income, revenue and operating costs, as well as full details of players' wages over a six-season period and the earnings of former manager Roberto Mancini during his time at the club.
Pep Guardiola's side have also been accused by the Premier League of failing to comply with UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules during a five-year period - before the Catalan's arrival in 2016 - and are said to have not fully co-operated with the Premier League's investigation.
Man City's 12-week hearing into their 115 charges - dubbed by some as 'the sport's trial of the century' - began on September 16 last year and concluded on December 6, with an independent commission now considering all the evidence before making their final decision.
Due to the volume of information being reviewed and the number of charges levelled against Man City, this process is expected to take several months and a decision from the independent commission is unlikely to be made public until spring 2025.
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Could the Premier League relegate Man City?
It has previously been reported that sanctions in the event of a guilty verdict could range from heavy fines, points deductions or even expulsion from multiple competitions including the Premier League - a competition which Man City have won in each of the last four seasons and eight times in total.
The Premier League cannot directly relegate Man City from England's top flight, according to financial expert Kieran Maguire, but he claims that a significant points deduction could be imposed which would make demotion to the second tier inevitable.
Providing an insight on Man City's situation on The Overlap Fan Debate, Maguire said: "In the case of City, there's actually three charges. It's not 115. Has money come in from the owners which they pretend to be from the sponsors? If that is the case, then that is fraud. That is about as serious as it gets.
"If found guilty of those charges, then the book will be thrown at Manchester City and it's going to be a massive points deduction.
"You can't relegate them because the Premier League and the EFL are independent bodies, so the EFL doesn't have to accept them. Given the Everton and the Nottingham Forest points deductions, they were both described by the commission of being "minor breaches".
"What Manchester City are being accused of is major breaches over a nine to 10 year period. So, you would be looking at somewhere between 60 and 100 points if you go through on a charge-by-charge basis. So, it would relegate them.
"The paying people off-book, it happens in football. I know a number of players and ex-players who are working for the owners' company and also on a wage at the club.
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Will Man City lodge appeal if found guilty?
"We've got history of players' mothers being paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to be an academy scout in order for the player to have a slightly better deal and so on. Football is quite creative in those rules.
"The third charge, which I think City will find difficult to defend, will be non-cooperation with the Premier League's investigation. Having said that, if my wife looks at my internet history, I'm in trouble! It shouldn't be done. You shouldn't be relying on hacked emails, and that's City's defence."
Some have suggested that Man City will immediately lodge an appeal if they are found guilty, which could potentially drag their case into next season, but Maguire does not believe that this will be an appropriate option for the Citizens to take.
He explained: "I think there are very narrow grounds for appeal. It's only if the conduct of the committee itself was unprofessional in some way that one of the parties can potentially make an appeal.
"If Manchester City are found guilty, then the whole board of directors has to resign because they will have been found guilty of misrepresentation, effectively lying to a commission."
Guardiola, who signed a two-year contract extension at the Etihad in November, has insisted that he will remain Man City manager even if the club are relegated as a result of a guilty verdict.
Oliver Thomas
