Man City rivals' private thoughts on vote to expel club from Premier League

· Mirror

The Premier League confirmed on Tuesday evening that Manchester City have been found guilty of all 115 charges of breaching its financial rules over a nine-year period

Manchester City are facing expulsion from the Premier League in the wake of their guilty verdict being confirmed. City have been plunged into crisis after they were found to have breached the Premier League's financial rules on 114 occasions, as laid out in a damning 40-page report published by top-flight officials on Tuesday.

The club inflated its revenue and reduced costs by more than £900million between the 2009-10 season and 2017-18 campaign. City were given a deadline of Friday to appeal against the verdict and have already confirmed their intention to do so.

Should they fail, the 10-time English champions are expected to receive an unprecedented punishment. One form of punishment would see City kicked out of the top flight.

Expelling them from the Premier League would require a special shareholder vote, 15 of whom would need to vote in favour. The Independent report that the feeling is currently running that high.

It's after the report said that City had made up 'sham' contracts with a number of its commercial partners and misstated the club's accounts. The report added that City called witnesses who gave evidence 'that they knew to be untrue and so had been dishonest'.

But City, who lifted eight trophies during the period in question, continue to deny any wrongdoing and once again claimed that they have a 'comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence' which will prove their innocence. "Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission, that has been published today," a statement read.

> "The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case. The Club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.

> "The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted. Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.

> "The Club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence. The Club is obviously restricted in what it can say further until all future proceedings are complete."

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