Former Man City player reveals what fans will do if club are found guilty of FFP breaches and relegated to League One
What fans will do if Manchester City is found guilty of financial violations and demoted from the Premier League has been foretold by a former player.
The Premier League filed 115 financial rule violations against City in February 2023, most of which had to do with sponsorship deal values.
City is accused of inflating the worth of its sponsorship agreement with Etihad Airways, among other things.
Leaked emails, according to German tabloid Der Spiegel, revealed that a large portion of Etihad’s debt to City was actually paid for directly by the team’s owners, Abu Dhabi United Group.
A date for City’s case to be considered by an impartial panel has been set, according to Premier League CEO Richard Masters earlier this year. There have been suggestions that this autumn may be the chosen time.
The three-time champions and current Premier League winners, City, could be punished with fines or even relegated if they are proven guilty.
Even if Pep Guardiola’s team drops to the third division or below in English football, Paulo Wanchope, a former player, thinks the supporters will support their team.
A member of the last City squad to be demoted from the premier league in 2001, the striker stated to LiveScoreBet that “they will be able to bounce back whatever happens.”
“There is an incredibly strong fan following. I believe that the reason they are currently doing so well is because they have faced and overcome adversity in the past.
“They played in Division Two [now League One] and Division One [now the Championship], yet even in those years, the supporters never wavered; they are truly unique.
“They will be okay whatever happens but hopefully there won’t be any damaging sanctions anyway.”
It’s quite feasible that City may be demoted if found guilty, considering that Everton and Nottingham Forest have already suffered significant point reductions this season for relatively minor violations of Premier League financial rules.
