Man City charges LIVE: Three punishments facing club as Kyle Walker forced to backpedal

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The latest news and updates on Manchester City's ongoing 114 financial charges case against the Premier League

Hello and welcome to the Manchester City 114 financial charges blog on Mirror Sport!

It has now been over a month since City were found guilty by an independent panel of all financial breaches brought forward by the Premier League.

The process of an appeal hearing and one for their potential sanctions have both started with City continuing to deny any wrongdoing. However, if the guilty verdict is upheld, there seems to be three likely punishments, which are a points deduction, a huge fine and immediate expulsion from the Premier League.

The stripping of titles seems unlikely with former player Kyle Walker part of the squad that won it all. He has spoken on a number of occasions about the charges, with his latest verdict clarifying a previous comment that caused controversy.

With all of that being said, stay with us throughout the day for all the latest news and updates...

Maresca response to Walker

Prior to Kyle Walker's retraction, Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca was asked about his comments during a press conference.

He said: "Nothing to say about that, to be honest. No comment. It's Kyle's thoughts, and nothing to say.

Lahm questions Guardiola legacy

Phillip Lahm is another iconic right-back that played under Pep Guardiola but he is now questioning his legacy at Manchester City.

He wrote in his column for The Guardian:

> As a player and a columnist, I never had an issue with Manchester City – precisely because, for many years, the club avoided buying the most obvious superstars. Guardiola said it himself: the most valuable of the valuable do not go to a club such as City, who aren’t even the biggest football brand in their own home town.

> Many became world stars in Manchester. Kevin De Bruyne had been discarded by Chelsea, Rodri’s true class was overlooked in Madrid for a long time, Gündogan’s career was on the brink after injuries, and most recently Gianluigi Donnarumma was no longer wanted in Paris.

> In Germany, City signed players from Hamburg, Frankfurt and Wolfsburg. Erling Haaland in 2022 was the first player they targeted who was also pursued by Bayern Munich. City did not operate like Paris Saint‑Germain did in the era before Luis Enrique.

> From the outside, City fundamentally did not do much differently from the other 10 or so top European clubs. But what are achievements on the pitch worth if they are accompanied by rule-breaking?

Walker forced to backpedal

Kyle Walker has been forced to clarify that he has no intention of removing his Manchester City tattoos. The club's former defender was asked if he would remove them if the guilty verdict was upheld to which he said: "Well, I'm probably going to have to do that bit."

Walker has a message that reads "4 in a row", which references City's four consecutive Premier League title wins. After appearing to suggest he would potentially get rid of them, Walker was forced to clarify that he actually has no plans to do that.

Writing to Instagram earlier this week, he said: "Just to clear up the misleading headlines today. I've never had any intention of removing my Manchester City tattoos."

Three punishments facing City

Manchester City could face immediate expulsion from the Premier League or just a hefty fine if their appeal against 114 financial charges fails.

The latter was suggested as the expected outcome by former Arsenal player Martin Keown on talkSPORT. A multi-million pound fine could be imposed and severe enough to have an impact on City but that seems unlikely.

Being forced out of the Premier League and EFL is clearly the most severe sanction with nothing that requires the latter to accept them.

A massive points deduction that confirms only one relegation at the end of the season is much more likely, however, with a report from the Daily Mail claiming that City would face a second deduction to make sure they spend a second campaign in the Championship.

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Hello and welcome to Mirror Sport's Manchester City 114 financial charges blog!

For all the latest news and updates on the case, don't go anywhere as we will bring you the latest throughout the day...

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