Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have urged Manchester City and the Premier League to quickly resolve the charges of Financial Fair Play (FFP) violations against the club. City have been charged 115 times by the Premier League for breaking the competition’s FFP rules between 2009 and 2018. The charges were issued back in February and the Citizens have denied any wrongdoing, but should they be found guilty, they could be stripped of the three titles they won in that period (2011/12, 2013/14 and 2017/18).
Carragher and Neville believe that a swift resolution would be best for all parties, as the longer the investigation takes, the more it taints the reputation of City and the Premier League itself. Neville stated that if City are found guilty, the damage would be longstanding and they would be tainted. He added that if the Premier League were not to see through these charges, the damage to their executive would be equally long lasting as well.
Should City be stripped of their titles, Liverpool and Manchester United could retrospectively be named champions for the aforementioned seasons. However, Neville is just keen to see the matter resolved, stating that due process must be followed but this is a sporting situation rather than a criminal one, and it should be closed as quickly as possible. Possible punishments for City if found guilty include suspension from playing league matches, points deductions, ordering compensation, cancelling or refusing registration of players, conditional punishment and ordering the club to pay costs.
