Jamie Carragher has called for Manchester City to face a punishment lasting between three and five years if the club’s financial misconduct verdict survives its appeal.
The former Liverpool defender believes a lengthy sanction would have a greater impact on City’s squad than a single-season punishment and could eventually force some of the club’s highest-paid players to leave.
Carragher has also argued that City’s owners should consider leaving the club if the Premier League’s findings are ultimately upheld.
Former Liverpool Defender Wants City’s Squad Broken Up
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Carragher questioned whether penalties lasting only one season would be enough to address the scale and duration of the alleged financial breaches.
He argued that a short sporting punishment could allow City to retain much of their squad, with players potentially willing to accept a difficult season before returning to normal competition.
Carragher believes extending the punishment over several seasons would create greater financial pressure and make it more difficult for the club to maintain its current wage bill.
Why Carragher Favors a Five-Year Sanction
Carragher pointed to the potential loss of Premier League income as one of the biggest consequences facing City if severe sporting sanctions are imposed.
Without the same level of league revenue, he argued, the club would have to reassess how much it could afford to spend on player wages while remaining within financial regulations.
The former England international suggested that a punishment lasting three to five years would make it much harder for players to remain at the Etihad and could force the squad to gradually change.
City Dispute the Premier League Findings
Manchester City have strongly rejected the commission’s findings and maintain that they are innocent of the accusations brought against them.
The club is appealing the verdict and has argued that the commission’s opinion contains significant errors of fact, law and principle.
City have also said that they possess substantial evidence supporting their position and intend to pursue all appropriate regulatory and legal avenues available to them.
The appeal process means the disciplinary case is not yet completely settled.
Commission Found City Guilty of 114 Charges
The Premier League Commission recently found Manchester City guilty on 114 of 115 charges following a lengthy investigation into the club’s finances and conduct.
The case relates primarily to alleged financial breaches between 2009 and 2018, a period during which City established themselves as one of English football’s dominant clubs.
The Premier League said the commission found evidence that the club had used agreements it described as “sham” to artificially increase reported revenues and reduce recorded costs.
According to the league, the disputed arrangements affected City’s financial reporting by approximately £900 million.
Premier League Says Financial Figures Were Misrepresented
The Premier League’s case centred on allegations that City recorded sponsorship revenue that did not accurately reflect the amounts actually paid by commercial partners.
The league said additional funding from Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd, the company’s owner at the time, helped cover portions of sponsorship arrangements.
According to the Premier League, the effect was to increase City’s reported income and consequently their permitted spending capacity under competition rules.
The league also alleged that other arrangements resulted in operating costs being recorded below their actual levels.
Investigation Also Found Co-operation Breaches
The commission’s findings went beyond financial reporting.
The Premier League said Manchester City repeatedly failed to comply with its obligations to co-operate with the investigation and accused the club of making concerted efforts to frustrate the process.
The investigation began after emails obtained by a hacker raised questions about the club’s financial affairs.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters described the commission’s decision as significant and said it supported the league’s decision to pursue the case.
He also stressed that the eventual sanction had yet to be determined.
Carragher Questions Whether Guardiola Trusted City’s Executives
Carragher also raised questions about Pep Guardiola’s longstanding public defence of Manchester City’s hierarchy.
Guardiola has repeatedly said he trusts the club’s executives and has maintained his belief in City’s innocence.
In 2022, the manager said he would leave if he discovered that senior figures at the club had lied to him. A year later, however, Guardiola said he would remain committed even if City were relegated to League One.
Carragher questioned whether Guardiola could genuinely have been unaware of concerns surrounding the club’s commercial arrangements given his close working relationship with the hierarchy.
He also referred to other controversies surrounding former City manager Roberto Mancini as part of the broader debate over the club’s past financial dealings.
Carragher Says City Owners Should Leave
The former Liverpool defender went further by arguing that the club’s owners should consider leaving if the verdict is eventually upheld.
Carragher said he had previously believed that the ownership should change if City were found guilty of serious financial misconduct.
He also expressed concern that an extended dispute could continue to dominate English football if City maintain their challenge through the appeal process.
In his view, resolving the case would be important not only for the Premier League but also for Manchester City’s supporters, who could otherwise remain caught in a prolonged dispute over the club’s past conduct.
City Face a Long-Running Regulatory Battle
Manchester City were initially charged in February 2023, although the original number of 115 charges was later corrected to 130.
The allegations included 54 charges relating to the failure to provide accurate and up-to-date financial information and 14 concerning financial reporting for player and manager compensation.
The club also faced charges relating to UEFA regulations, Financial Fair Play requirements, Premier League profit and sustainability rules and alleged failures to co-operate with the league’s investigation.
The hearing began in September of the previous year at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre and lasted through an extensive legal process.
The Next Decision Could Shape City’s Future
Manchester City now face the next stage of the disciplinary process as they challenge the commission’s findings.
The Premier League has indicated that it wants the remaining stages of the case completed as quickly as possible, particularly the determination of the appropriate punishment.
For Carragher, the scale of the alleged misconduct means the response should extend well beyond a one-season sporting setback.
Whether the eventual sanction resembles the former Liverpool defender’s proposed three-to-five-year punishment, however, will depend on the outcome of the appeal and the Premier League’s subsequent disciplinary process.
