‘Just own it’: Gary Lineker urges Manchester City to accept punishment for financial breach

File Pic: Manchester City players and staff after winning the Premier League. (Photo by Reuters) Former England captain Gary Lineker believes Manchester City should accept responsibility for Premier League financial breaches and accept whatever punishment comes their way, saying such a move could help draw a line behind one of English football’s biggest scandals.City were found guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules over the nine seasons from 2009–10 to 2017–18, along with three of the four charges relating to their alleged failure to cooperate with the league’s investigation.An independent commission found that City used what the Premier League described as “bogus” commercial deals to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than £900m over almost a decade. City have appealed against the verdict and continue to insist that he is innocent.Speaking at the Leaders Week sports industry conference at Stamford Bridge, Lineker said the saga had damaged both City and English football.“Obviously it looks really bad for Manchester City, it really does. And bad for the game… I’d like to see Man City own it now and say, ‘OK, we got it wrong’,” Lineker said.“But for the good of the game, we’ll accept it, we’ll take any punishment and move on. I think it would be a blessing and a bit of a face saver for them at the moment, although it doesn’t look too likely.”

“Who suffers from this?”

The city filed a comprehensive appeal against the commission’s findings, arguing that the decision contained “obvious substantive errors” of law, principle and fact. The appeal hearing will be private and confidential.Lineker said he would not be surprised if the potential punishment included the stripping of Premier League titles won during the period under investigation, although he acknowledged the potential impact on fans and players.“But it’s damaging … and I feel for their fans and I feel for their players,” he said.Asked if City should be stripped of the three Premier League titles they won during the controversial period, Lineker said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if it went that way. But again, at the end of the day, who suffers? The players and the fans.”The Premier League has yet to impose a penalty. Possible sanctions include reprimand, fine, deduction of points or expulsion from the competition, with no club previously expelled from England’s top flight.The appeal process is expected to take place within 12 weeks of the City’s appeal being lodged and cannot take more than five consecutive days. Any sanctions will be dealt with separately by the investigation commission.The commission’s findings cover a period in which City experienced unprecedented success, winning several trophies and establishing itself as one of the dominant clubs in English football.City have maintained their innocence throughout the case, which dates back to 2018, and say they have “irrefutable evidence” to support their position.