Man City 'very unlikely' to be expelled from Premier League, ex-CEO reveals most likely punishment
Manchester City could potentially have their Premier League membership revoked as part of their punishment for their 114 financial breaches.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that is an avenue that the League could potentially go down.
The Citizens have been found guilty of 114 financial charges, spanning a nine-year period, including the sustained use of 'sham' contracts to inflate financial revenues.
Wyness made it clear that as things stand, the only way for City to drop down a league is if they are relegated in the usual manner, and expelling them from the Premier League would require a new mechanism to be put in place.
However, the boardroom expert is unsure as to whether the clubs in the EFL would allow that to happen.
City are facing an unprecedented situation at the moment, and with that comes an unprecedented level of punishment.
Man City have 10% chance of expulsion
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that City have around a 10 per cent chance of being "expelled" from the Premier League for their punishment.
That would see them parachuted out of the top flight, regardless of any potential points deductions or other levels of punishment.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained why the EFL's reluctance is likely to nip that prospect in the bud pretty quickly.
"Well, there's just no system, as I'm aware, to handle this sort of thing. So basically what you're asking is if they were expelled from the Premier League. I think there's about a 10 per cent chance of that happening, a very slim chance," he said.
"I'll go back to my first point when I said about trying to make sanctions that don't affect everybody else. This would also affect clubs in the EFL right now. But there is no mechanism, I understand it, between the EFL and the Premier League to parachute a club out of the Premier League if it's not through relegation.
"So it would have to be through the normal relegation situation for them to go down a league. That's where I'd see it happening. But I don't think the expulsion would happen, it's very unlikely.
"I think the other clubs in the EFL would be wanting to try and block that position as well. So it's a difficult one to see happening for an expulsion from the Premier League."
Rangers have 'set precedent' for Man City punishment
Former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider earlier this week that relegation is the only option when it comes to City's punishment.
The ex-recruitment man made it clear that a "precedent" was set in British football when Rangers were demoted down to the Scottish League Two back in 2012.
The Glasgow giants suffered severe financial issues and liquidation, and were hit with one of the biggest punishments ever seen in British football.
Brown is adamant that a similar scenario must be applied with City, who he believes are deserving of at least one relegation.