After finding guilty against Manchester City: Ex-club boss calls for forced relegation

Following the Premier League's guilty verdict against Manchester City for violating financial rules, former club boss David Bernstein has called for forced relegation. "If all of this is confirmed and the appeal fails, Manchester City cannot stay in the Premier League. The club must receive a severe punishment that removes them from the Premier League. I have been saying that as a supporter and fan for 70 years," Bernstein told the British broadcaster BBC.

The English top club was found guilty by an independent commission on Tuesday evening of breaches of the Premier League's financial rules between the 2009/10 and 2017/18 seasons. Manchester City is said to have concluded “sham contracts” with business partners in order to conceal financing of more than 830 million British pounds (around 969 million euros). The club has until Friday to file an appeal.

Coach Pep Guardiola's former employer faces severe sanctions, which could include a massive point deduction or even exclusion from the Premier League. The club, which has belonged to Sheikh Mansour from the ruling family of Abu Dhabi since 2008, has so far protested its innocence. Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano claimed the guilty verdict was the result of “a Premier League conspiracy theory”.

“I would throw the medals in the bin”

"The sanctions must not be limited to money. Money doesn't mean much to the owners from Abu Dhabi," said Bernstein. He stressed that the credibility of the Premier League was at stake. "The Premier League has said that there was false documentation and a certain pattern of behavior over several years. That's absolutely unbelievable," said the 83-year-old, who led Man City as chairman from 1998 to 2003. He later also headed the English Football Association (FA).

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane also reacted in shock. "If I were a player, I would 100 percent throw these medals in the bin. Of course you would - it's cheating," Keane said on British broadcaster ITV Sport, adding: "They knew they would hurt a lot of people, but they did it anyway."

The minister responsible for sport in Great Britain, Lisa Nandy, said that the case was “extremely serious”: “The Premier League report is shocking in its clarity.”