Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher's Man City charges comments after warning on imminent verdict

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher's Man City charges comments after warning on imminent verdict

Manchester City have had more than 100 Premier League charges hanging over them for a number of years, but the reigning top-flight champions deny any wrongdoing

Manchester City and their manager Pep Guardiola are awaiting the outcome of a hearing into their Premier League charges (Image: PA )

As Manchester City prepare to learn the outcome of the hearing into their 130 charges, plenty of footballing figures have had their say. Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have been chief among them, contributing to the debate throughout a process which is finally nearing its end.

City have yet to learn the outcome of the hearing, with a number of potential options on the table if they are found guilty. The reigning Premier League champions - who deny any wrongdoing - could be docked points or even relegated, while other options include a transfer ban.

‌

Article continues below

"A points deduction would be the most likely outcome should the club be found guilty," football finance expert Kieran Maguire said on Football on Trial: The Manchester City Charges podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live. "As for the quantum of points deduction, if Everton were initially given a 10 points deduction for going around about £10/12 million over the limits in one particular season, I think, in order to set an example to the rest of football, it's got to act as a deterrent.

"We'll probably be looking at somewhere in the region of 60 to 100 point, which would effectively guarantee relegation out of the Premier League and into the lower tiers of football in the EFL," Maguire added. However, City could still be cleared, or handed a less severe punishment.

Sky Sports prepare pundits for imminent Man City 115 charges verdict with clear message READ MORE:

City deny the charges, which relate to alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. And, with Sky Sports reminding pundits not to make "snap judgements" during coverage of the verdict, Mirror Football has looked back at what Neville and Carragher have said in the past.

‌

Premier League's 'incompetent' warning

"They've got a major fight on their hands, and there's going to be a major loser here," Neville said on Sky Sports in February 2023. "The Premier League are going to be found to be incompetent if they can't land the charges, and obviously if they do land the charges on Manchester City then it's going to obviously tarnish the last 10 years for many people - particularly clubs who've been fighting that sort of, if you like, fight against them.

"I come at it from two different ways - if they broke the rules they should get the book thrown at them and that will happen, but if they haven't then the Premier League, four years it's taken them, I'm a little bit nervous about the Premier League's defence in the sense that this morning they've had six of the charges changed which is really sloppy having been investigating it for four years.

Gary Neville has been vocal throughout the process (Image: Getty Images )

‌

"This will play out for a few years, I have to say I don't get angry about Manchester City and these charges over the last 10-15 years, because for me it's just another thing that has happened in football."

Neville asks City to speed up

In May 2023, City were in the process of lodging a legal challenge in relation to the charges, relating to alleged breaches which date back to 2009. At the time, they had just been crowned Premier League champions for a third successive season, and would subsequently make it four in a row in 2024.

Manchester City are the reigning Premier League champions (Image: AP )

‌

"If the rules are in place then you have to abide by them," Neville said on Monday Night Football after earlier showing sympathy with City over FFP in general. "There’s no doubt that for Manchester City, their owners and their executives, if some of the most serious of these charges were to be brought forward and they were to be found guilty of them, then the damage would be long lasting and it would be tainting.

“However, on the other side, I must mention, if the Premier League were not to see through these charges then the damage to their executive would be equally long-lasting. There is a massive pressure moment coming in the next couple of years. It’s something that really isn’t going to go away until it’s dealt with.

“I have to say if they can accelerate it forward – and we need due process and law, you’ve got to let it take its course – but this is a sporting situation, it’s not a criminal situation like in a normal court. Let’s move it forward and try and get it closed as quickly as possible.”

‌

Carragher's 'asterisk' claim

Jamie Carragher has spoken and written about City's situation (Image: Getty Images )

Speaking on the same Monday Night Football broadcast, Carragher gave his own verdict. “Manchester City don’t want this, supporters don’t want it, the Premier League don’t want it. It’s not good when we’re talking about one of the best teams of all time in the Premier League – and manager – and there’s this asterisk above it until this is sorted out," he said.

"My message to Manchester City would be: this needs to get sorted sooner rather than later, for your own reputation. There’s no doubt about it, if they’re found guilty of all this then everything would be tainted.”

‌

Relegation prediction

City's fellow Premier League side Everton were docked points during the 2023-24 season (Image: Getty Images )

It's not just on TV where the pundits have given their takes on Manchester City's fate. In October 2023, when Everton found themselves staring at a points deduction in October 2023, Carragher spoke about City's potential fate on social media.

"The [Premier League] want a 12-point deduction for Everton for one charge. Man City are going to end up in the National League North if the PL get their way!" he wrote.

‌

"Unbelievable the amount of stories that come out of Everton's situation. But Man City's, which has 114 more charges and gone on for much longer, has all gone very quiet."

City are at risk of missing out on Champions League qualification this season (Image: Getty Images )

Everton were ultimately docked 10 points in November of that year, later bringing it down to six on appeal. They were also docked two further points later in the 2023-24 season for a separate breach of Profit and Sustainability rules.

‌

Carragher's 'shadow' argument

"[City manager Pep] Guardiola should be celebrated for his genius by neutrals as well as City fans. But whether he and his club likes it or not, City will never escape the shadow of those allegations until they are dealt with, the years of legal wrangling still preventing the club from clearing its name," Carragher wrote in a Telegraph column just days before Guardiola's team clinched the 2023-24 title.

City's 2023-24 title win was their fourth on the bounce (Image: Getty Images )

"That is what baffles me about the whole sordid affair. When accusations are made against any individuals or institutions who have absolute certainty in their innocence, you would usually expect the demand of those involved to arrange a hearing at the earliest opportunity. Where is the statement from City expressing frustration or fury that the process is taking so long?

‌

"Kicking the can down the road means too many insults are being directed at a brilliant manager and his extraordinary team – none of whom will have a clue about how the club was operating in those years under suspicion."

Neville offers transfer theory

Savinho joined Manchester City in an otherwise quiet summer (Image: Getty Images )

Manchester City were relatively quiet in the transfer market in the summer of 2024. By mid-August, Savinho was the only senior arrival, and Neville speculated that the charges hanging over the club might have played their part.

‌

"Last night it was announced that Manchester City's hearing will start in four weeks. I wonder if they're not signing anybody on purpose, thinking they might get the book thrown at them," Neville said at the time on the Stick to Football podcast.

"If they think they're going to get found guilty, and something ridiculous happens, they get relegated or deducted 20 points, they might think what is the point of signing players now. They got £82million for [Julian] Alvarez, and they might just see what happens."

Despite no resolution arriving before the winter window, City did end up spending big in January and February. However, City might have decided to act - splashing out more than £150m on Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez - due to their on-field struggles.

Article continues below

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Click here to read article