Piers Morgan Calls for Manchester City Relegation Following Guilty Verdict

Piers Morgan has called for Manchester City to be relegated after the club were found guilty of the 'vast majority' of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League. City are awaiting punishment after sources indicated they were found guilty of 114 of their 115 charges, which relate to accusations of widespread financial cheating between 2009 and 2018.

Morgan, a vocal Arsenal supporter, argued that Manchester City must face relegation and a points deduction over several seasons, stating the club has been found guilty of "cheating the system." He believes a fine would be insufficient given the financial resources of the club's ownership.

"They (Man City) 100 per cent have to be relegated. 100 per cent," Morgan said on the "Football Uncensored" podcast. "This idea they get away with a fine and a transfer ban - no, no, no, no. I think they should be relegated, I think there should be a points deduction for the next four seasons. There's got to be a proper punishment. The fine is irrelevant, Abu Dhabi have gazillions pumping out of their oil barrels every day. It's got to hurt them."

Oliver Holt, writing in the Daily Mail, supported the idea of City having their titles stripped as a deterrent. Simon Jordan, former chairman of Crystal Palace, suggested that the guilty verdict signifies the end of the Abu Dhabi United Group's project at Manchester City, labeling it "doomed."

"This project is doomed now for Abu Dhabi," Jordan stated. "The whole idea behind utilising football was to change the perspective on these entities, these regimes. What I do want to see is the ownership separated, because I do believe the ownership is entirely culpable. Abu Dhabi cannot in my mind recover from this in terms of an ownership with a sports franchise. Even if they do find irrefutable evidence, there will still be the argument it was a technicality. Their project of delivering sport and a prism of the way that their society was looked at, is toast. And so the consequence is there for them."

Manchester City have consistently maintained their innocence throughout the process. Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak recently affirmed, "Our confidence and intent in proving the club's innocence is just as strong as when this began."

The Premier League charged Manchester City in February 2023, with the hearing concluding in December 2024. The club issued a statement at the time expressing their surprise at the charges. The allegations span multiple breaches of financial rules and a failure to cooperate with the investigation over a 14-year period, with the most significant violations occurring over an eight-year span.

Initially, a three-man panel was tasked with reviewing the evidence, with an initial expectation that a verdict would be reached within months. However, the process has taken approximately three-and-a-half years. The original 115 charges were later extended to 130 due to an administrative issue, making it the most extensive and costly case in English football history.

Throughout this period, Manchester City won eight Premier League titles, one Champions League, four FA Cups, and seven EFL Cups. The charges include allegations of failing to report accurate financial information for nine seasons from 2009-10 to 2017-18, as well as providing incomplete details of former manager Roberto Mancini's pay between 2009-10 and 2012-13. They are also accused of failing to provide full details of player payments from 2010-11 to 2015-16 and not cooperating with the probe from 2018 to 2023.