Manchester City are in danger of being thrown out of more than just the Premier League if they are found guilty of serious breaches of its financial rules.
It can be revealed that City would be at risk of being expelled from both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and there is no certainty they would be able to continue to play in the Champions League or at the Club World Cup either.
As disclosed by Telegraph Sport at the start of the so-called ‘Trial of the century’ into what are anywhere between 115 and 130 charges against City, their Premier League rivals do not believe a one-off points deduction would be sufficient punishment if they are found guilty of the vast majority of offences they stand accused of committing.
Expulsion from the world’s richest league would satisfy those calling for a harsher sanction but would also risk throwing English football into chaos and could lead to its four-time defending champions continuing to play in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Champions League.
However, the rules of the two domestic cup competitions do raise the prospect of City’s exile from the game being extended beyond the Premier League.
Clause 31 of the FA Cup rules, for example, states: “Where a club has been admitted to participate in the competition but is then removed from the league in which it competes (or its league fixtures are suspended), the Professional Game Board [PGB] may remove the club from the competition.”
The PGB is made up of representatives of the Premier League and English Football League.
The EFL Cup rules, meanwhile, define participating clubs as “each member from time to time of the league and each member from time to time of the Premier League”.
Rules governing the Champions League appear to be more complex, with teams requiring a Uefa club licence to play in European competitions.
Uefa, the FA and the Premier League all have roles in the administration of such licences and Telegraph Sport has been unable to ascertain whether expulsion from a domestic league could be grounds for withdrawal.
Similarly, detailed regulations governing Fifa’s expanded Club World Cup that begins this summer – for which City qualified after winning the Champions League last year – do not appear to be publicly available.
However, if City are expelled from all domestic football, it could make it very difficult for them to continue to play in the Champions League and Club World Cup given the long gaps they would face between competitive fixtures.
The prospect of them winning those competitions at the end of a season in which they are thrown out of the Premier League and potentially other competitions would also rankle with rival clubs and supporters.
City have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing before and after they were charged by the Premier League and say that they have a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” to support their position and “look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all”.
