Former Chairman Says Man City Should Be Kicked Out of Premier League

Manchester City should be kicked out of the Premier League after being found guilty of breaking financial rules, according to the club’s former chairman David Bernstein.

City was found to have set up fake contracts with several commercial partners. This was to falsely boost the club’s income and lower costs from 2009 to 2018.

This scheme hid the real state of their finances and helped them avoid breaking Premier League and UEFA spending rules.

An independent commission also found the club guilty of most charges for not cooperating with the league's investigation.

City could face relegation, a points deduction, or a heavy fine. No punishment has been given yet, and City, which is backed by Abu Dhabi, said they will appeal the decision.

But Bernstein, who was chairman from 1998 to 2003, thinks the club deserves the toughest punishment possible. He said, "It is damning beyond belief. My immediate thoughts are, should the board continue? Should the people involved be suspended immediately?"

He added, "Very, very serious. I think it’s really terrible. There’s a school of thought with lawyers that is deny, deny, deny, but this is a football club that is part of a league and the whole credibility of the league is at stake here."

Bernstein insisted, "The sanctions cannot just be financial, so it’s got to be way beyond that. If the appeal fails, Manchester City cannot stay in the league, they have to suffer. And I say that as a supporter and a fan."

Lisa Nandy, the Culture, Media and Sport secretary, told the BBC that the report was: "Incredibly serious. The Premier League report is incredibly stark."

She added, "Manchester City have the right to appeal. This is causing a lot of concern for City fans and all fans of Premier League football."

City overstated their income by more than £830 million ($1.09 billion) using a system called ‘Project Longbow’, according to the independent commission.

In a serious 40-page report, the Premier League said it viewed City’s actions as having “extremely serious, significant, sustained and intentional or reckless breaches of rules critical to the proper and fair operation of the Premier League.”

The report detailed the scale of the “sham” commercial deals the club made with some of its sponsors. These deals were part of a hidden funding scheme, where those companies only had to pay part of the sponsorship fees.

According to the commission, one company, “Fordham”, was actually just a front for the Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club, to inject more money.

The commission explained, “In 2012 the club launched what it termed Project Longbow.

“We accept the club’s explanation that Project Longbow was a multi-strand project whose purpose was to explore how the club might boost its revenues and reduce its operating losses.

“Many of the strands of Project Longbow were genuine, legitimate attempts to achieve those aims. One was not. That was the Fordham Arrangement.”