Emile Heskey, whose two sons came through Manchester City’s academy, believes the club will be hit with a 60-point deduction if their appeal fails, and he expects that to send them down to the Championship.
The prediction lands as City wait on the appeal against an independent commission’s verdict. It was confirmed in September that they had been found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought by the Premier League, and the club lodged their appeal a few days later. They still insist they did nothing wrong.
Ally McCoist has added his voice too, calling the whole saga “a disaster for the English game” and taking on the comparison with Rangers, who were sent down through the Scottish divisions in 2012.
What did Heskey say about a points deduction?
Heskey’s sons Jaden and Reigan both came through the academy at Manchester City, so this is not a pundit with no link to the club. He doesn’t think it gets settled quickly, and he went for a big number.
Heskey said: “As for the off-field legal issues and their appeal, it’s so complex that it won’t be resolved quickly or sorted this season. Both sides are going to throw arguments back and forth, and it could go on for a year or more. Whether it ends in a massive points deduction or relegation, nobody knows yet, but it’s not getting settled straight away.”
Then came the headline figure. “I think they will probably get a 60-point deduction, but say City get 90-something points, or 100, well, then they could stay up. They’ve got a chance. If they end up staying up, then I’m not sure that’s the right punishment from the point of view of other clubs. They will probably go into the Championship, but people will have questions about whether they should go into League One or League Two, instead.”
He also expects talks away from the hearings. “I don’t know what will be considered good enough, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a bit of negotiations behind the scenes to find an outcome that’s acceptable for everyone. That could go on for a year,” he added.
McCoist on the Rangers comparison
McCoist only half accepts the link. In an interview, he said: “Man City being compared to Rangers? I get the comparison a little bit. There are no real comparisons in the legalities of it, but I understand the sentiment. If City lose the appeal, no matter what happens, people will be unhappy with the level of punishment.”
“Some will think it’s too light, others too harsh. It leaves an overall sense of sadness more than anything else that we can’t get this resolved sooner. I understand there’s a legal and appeals process to go through, but it’s a disaster for the English game,” he went on.
He added that it felt sad to watch “Liverpool and City have a right go at each other” and then spend Monday morning talking about financial charges and whether goals will count. His view is that any sanction is bound to anger some clubs, with reports suggesting rivals are pushing for the harshest punishment if City lose again.
When will the Man City appeal be decided?
Premier League rules say an appeal should be finished within 12 weeks, and the independent panel then has a further 30 days to reach a final decision. That puts the likely outcome in the new year.
If the appeal is rejected, City face a points deduction, a large fine and even expulsion from the Premier League. Former midfielder Gareth Barry has already said City have to be punished if the verdict stands, while Erling Haaland’s father took the other side, saying the players had nothing to do with the 114 charges. Inside the club, the focus has been on the appeal itself, including the 2017 New York dinner photo some at City see as a smoking gun.
All of this sits in the background as Enzo Maresca’s side travel to RB Leipzig for Wednesday night’s Champions League game (8pm UK) after two straight Premier League defeats left them three points behind leaders Arsenal.
Is a 60-point deduction for Man City realistic?
Sixty points is a number picked to make a point, not one taken from any rulebook. Heskey even talks himself round in the same breath: if City racked up 90 or 100 points, they could survive it, and then rival clubs would say the punishment wasn’t enough. That is why he leans towards the Championship.
The bigger point is the one he and McCoist agree on. Nobody knows the ending yet, and every month without one is another month of these questions hanging over the Etihad. For Maresca and the squad, the only thing they can control is what happens on the pitch, starting in Leipzig.
