Former football star calls for Manchester City to be relegated 

Craig Foster has weighed in on the latest scandal surrounding English football, after Manchester City were charged with more than 100 counts of alleged financial cheating. 

In a bombshell announcement on Monday, the Premier League charged City with more than 100 financial rule breaches.

The charges against the reigning champions relate to financial information regarding revenue, details of manager and player remuneration, UEFA regulations, profitability and sustainability and co-operation with Premier League investigations.

Should they be found guilty by an independent commission, City could be docked points or even expelled from England’s top flight, while silverware won during the period of alleged breaches – from 2009 to 2018 – could be stripped.

And former Socceroos and Crystal Palace midfielder Foster says that the alleged rule breach is so serious that chiefs should consider handing down major punishments.    

Craig Foster believes Manchester City should be relegated if found guilty of alleged breaches

‘The question for the EPL is, is financial doping – as it’s so often called – is that any different to interfering with referees and the integrity of the match on the field,’ he told SEN.

‘Well, if you’re working on a different financial base, there is no integrity in that competition, the games you are winning are based on a false premise, therefore I think relegation is one of the options open to the EPL, along with fines and points deduction.

‘They’ll certainly have points deducted but I just wonder myself whether the EPL are prepared to go further and either strip them of the titles they won during those years… or whether they are prepared to suspend them from the competition themselves in order to make a statement that this was so improper.

‘The question will be for the independent investigators I guess is how severe are the breaches, how much did it impact the integrity of the investigation… and during this period they won three Premier League titles at a time they were hiding money paid…’ Foster said. 

The Premier League club has been charged with financial breaches from 2009 – 2018

If found guilty, Man City (Erling Haaland pictured) could face a points deduction or expulsion

‘I’d boot them out providing these things are proven. It’s clearly been systemic, it’s been hidden, and they have not been transparent, even UEFA and CAS in their former rulings said they did not cooperate with the investigation.

‘It’s a very serious matter that goes to the integrity of the competition of itself. (if it’s proven) I’d boot them out of the competition and they’d have to fight their way back up.’

On Tuesday, reports suggested that figures at City expect manager Pep Guardiola to have left his role as manager before any resolution is found.

Speaking in May 2022, Guardiola vowed: ‘I said to them, “If you lie to me, I am not here. I will be out,’ which has raised questions about whether a guilty verdict would end the Catalan’s time in charge.