"Is this supposed to be a joke?": Former Premier League manager calls for Manchester City to be forcibly relegated and cites Erling Haaland as an example

Former Premier League manager Jesse Marsch has spoken out clearly in favour of severe punishment for Manchester City in connection with the financial scandal surrounding the club.

"I think City should be punished severely. They should have to be relegated," said Marsch, Canada’s national team coach since 2024, to the Guardian.

Marsch, who managed Leeds United in the Premier League from February 2022 to February 2023, said of the serious allegations City are facing: "Everybody knew about it."

At the end of September, the Premier League officially announced that City had been found guilty on numerous charges of breaching the applicable financial rules. The Athletic had previously reported City being guilty on 114 of 115 charges.

What are Manchester City accused of?

City are alleged to have concealed their true financial situation over a period of years. They are also said to have overstated income and understated expenditure. Marsch then looked back to the summer of 2022.

"At the time, we (Leeds, ed.) and Manchester City were the only two teams that said they had made a profit. That was true for us because we sold Raphinha (to Barcelona for 58 million euros, ed.) and Kalvin Phillips (to City for 49 million euros, ed.)," said Marsch, who went on: "But when City claimed that, I thought: 'Are you taking the piss? Is this supposed to be a joke?' When they said they had bought Erling Haaland for 60 million euros, I thought: 'Yeah, right, sure.' So I knew there were inconsistencies there, but what can you do? You just shrug your shoulders and say to yourself: 'That’s just football.'"

What punishments could Manchester City face?

No one yet knows how severe City’s punishment for the breaches will be. Heavy fines or a transfer ban are possible. In the worst-case scenario, the ten-time English champions could face compulsory relegation, the outcome Marsch wants.

Late last week, City announced that they had lodged a "comprehensive appeal" against the ruling. "The club firmly believes that the report contains clear material errors in relation to law, principles and facts for several reasons and is therefore unsafe," a statement published by the Sky Blues said.