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2 The Premier League hearing into Man City’s alleged misdemeanours has begun, and former professional player turned pundit, Stan Collymore, wants the “strongest possible message” to be sent to the serial title winners.
Ever since Pep Guardiola took over at the Etihad Stadium, the Cityzens have enjoyed unprecedented success.
Only Liverpool in 2020 have been able to stop them winning the English top-flight title in the last seven seasons.
Collymore wants Man City relegated to the National League
Though they haven’t quite dominated as much in European football, the brand of football often exhibited is beyond compare.
Certainly, if the club were found guilty of any charges, a commensurate punishment could have wide-ranging effects on the game as we know it.
That’s precisely what Collymore is advocating for, however, if the Premier League want to be seen as a serious organisation.
“If they are found guilty they should be starting, in my opinion, in the National League,” he told CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.
“Getting relegated to the Championship and having two or three windows where they’re not allowed to compete in the transfer market isn’t likely to see any of their big names leave.
“If, however, you’re kicked out of the Premier League and you’re kicked out of the Football League, that really sends out the strongest possible message.
Erling Haaland won’t play for Man City if they’re relegated to the National League (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)“And the reality is that the National League would welcome them with open arms, because it’s Man City, and they would generate a significant amount of revenue.
“Allegedly, it’s taken the club a number of years to run roughshod over the rules in order to be able to get a competitive advantage over other clubs, so it has to follow that it takes a number of years to get back up to the Premier League.
“Erling Haaland, Rodri and Jack Grealish et al aren’t staying put if their best years of their playing career are spent in the lower reaches of the English football pyramid.
“If we look back in 10 years and see City have had dropped down one division whilst winning 15 trophies, the owners of other big clubs are likely to think that’s a risk worth taking.”
Of course, Man City absolutely remain innocent until proven guilty, and that can’t be lost amidst the hoo-ha being created by the case.
It could well be that the club are absolved of all blame in each case, that they could be found guilty on some points or on all of them.

 
Depending on what the findings are, there’s likely to be a sliding scale of punishments available to the powers that be.
With the likes of Everton and Nottingham Forest already having been deducted points for falling foul of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), there’s already a precedent in place for certain aspects.
The issue for many will be whether the Premier League will be brave enough to see things through, as this could be a seismic moment in English football history.
Top photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP
