The nightmare scenario at the Etihad: what would Manchester City do if they were expelled from the Premier League?
A frustrating collapse
Manchester City face an uncertain future after an independent Premier League commission found them guilty on all 130 charges levelled against them. The City board maintain their innocence and insist they will mount a strong defence through appeal, but the potential consequences remain open to every possibility.
Punishments on the table run the full range. At one end sits a huge financial fine and the loss of the three Premier League titles won during the period under investigation. At the other lies a heavy points deduction that would guarantee an inevitable drop to the Championship.
The most terrifying option under consideration, though, is a full and permanent expulsion from the top flight, according to Britain's "The Sun".
The legal dilemma: who takes City in?
Here lie the logistical and legal complications that could turn the punishment into utter chaos. Expelled from the Premier League, Manchester City would have to submit a new membership application to join the English Football League (EFL).
That decision would then rest entirely with the EFL. Do they place City in the Championship? Drop them to League One? To League Two? The EFL even holds the legal right to reject the application outright, an option that is highly unlikely but remains on the table.
Should that historic rejection happen, City would be left with only one last, shocking option: an application to join the National League in the fifth tier, the amateur league.
The difference between a points deduction and expulsion
The fundamental difference between the two punishments lies in the fate of the current season. A points deduction would keep the season running for City, even with relegation inevitable, and they would know they were dropping only one division.
Expulsion is another matter entirely. Carried out mid-season, it would cause unprecedented logistical chaos. The club could not play its matches against Premier League teams and would be left waiting, without any competition, until the start of the new season.
Soriano warns: the battle will not end
The Manchester City board, meanwhile, will not surrender easily. Chief executive Ferran Soriano delivered a surprise speech to a group of European football club presidents at the Copenhagen summit, and his message was clear defiance.
According to sources who attended the meeting, Soriano wanted to make clear his complete opposition to the commission's decision, insisting his team is confident of winning the case in the end.
The Spaniard added in a firm tone: "It took eight years to reach this result, and it will take much longer."
His words are understood to mean the club feels the imposed confidentiality agreements restrict its freedom and stop it presenting its case to the public. City remain entirely certain they will be cleared, and have no desire to bring the proceedings to a close on anything short of a full acquittal on all charges, even if it takes several more years.
