Man City FFP: David Ornstein tells Carragher whether Sheikh Mansour could be got rid of now
The Athletic journalist David Ornstein has explained to former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher why Sheikh Mansour cannot be removed as the Manchester City owner right now.
Man City have been found guilty of FFP breaches during the period between 2009 and 2018.
The Premier League club are planning to make an appeal against the verdict of the Independent Commission.
If Man City are unsuccessful in overturning the verdict, then they face severe punishment.
There could be a hefty fine on Man City, who could also be slapped with a transfer ban.
A point deduction for Man City is also in the realm of possibility, and so is expulsion from the Premier League.
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Ornstein, who originally broke the news last Friday about Man City being found guilty of FFP violations before the Premier League confirmed it this week, has given his take on the likely punishment that the Citizens could face.
David Ornstein on Man City FFP punishment
The Athletic journalist said on The Overlap: “I can only say, not what I believe because that’s completely irrelevant and this discourse in the public domain is totally understandable, but none of us have a clue what they are going to get hit by.
“We have never seen this before.
“The whole spectrum is open to the independent commission and that could be the most devastating consequences for Manchester City, or it could technically be a telling off and a slap on the wrist.
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“Given that they have been found guilty of all of the financial charges and the majority of the compliance ones as well, you would imagine it would be the decision of the independent commission, will be an extremely heavy punishment.
“There’s no other conceivable correlation to the fact that they…
“I am just guessing here, but you are talking about, I don’t imagine they would be playing in the Premier League if a punishment is commensurate to the verdict.”
Sheikh Mansour to stay as Man City owner despite FFP guilty verdict
Ornstein has also clarified whether the FFP guilty verdict affects Man City owner Sheikh Mansour.
When asked on the show if the Man City owners could be removed from their position, The Athletic journalist replied: “Well, that would be more a question for the independent regulator.”
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher then said that the current turmoil means that the Man City owners need to go.
Ornstein replied: “So, I think what you are suggesting is they need to be got rid of.
“I don’t think it works like that in terms of you want them to go or somebody wants them to go.”
Carragher responded to Ornstein by saying that Man City fans would eventually want current owner Sheikh Mansour to leave and start afresh under new ownership.
To that, Ornstein replied: “Yeah, that’s a different point.
“If that comes, that’s an organic thing, and it would be a decision for the owners if they listen to their fans.
“What I am saying is that it would have to be, at this point in time, to get what you initially suggested, it would have to be being removed because of breaches in terms of the independent regulator finding from the end of the process that these are not fit and proper owners and directors.
“Now there is a section in the report, the summary that has come out, that has redacted the name of somebody it claims knew nothing about this, and there has been an assumption in the last 24 hours or so that that is Sheikh Mansour.
“We don’t know that for a fact, but, the redacted name was found by the independent commission to have known nothing about the ownership funding the sponsorship deals.
“And so, if that is Sheikh Mansour, and he is the owner that you are talking about and he may be exonerated in the process, and then, I am not talking about the fans, I am talking about the actual fact, the people that could potentially face action, you would imagine, is the executives that are found by the case to have broken the rules.”
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