'They have to suffer' - Former Manchester City chairman David Bernstein demands Manchester City be expelled from Premier League if appeal fails

Bernstein has claimed that Manchester City cannot remain in the Premier League if their appeal against a landmark guilty verdict fails. The club was recently found guilty of 115 separate breaches of financial regulations, a development that Bernstein described as "damning beyond belief" during a passionate interview with BBC Radio 5 Live.

Speaking with raw honesty, Bernstein questioned the continued presence of the current leadership at the club following the commission's findings. "It is damming beyond belief. My immediate thoughts are, should the board continue? Should the people involved be suspended immediately?" he asked. "Very, very serious. I think it's really terrible. There's a school of thought with lawyers that is deny, deny, deny, but this is a football club that is part of a league and the whole credibility of the league is at stake here. I would go as far [to stay it is a deep-seated form of fraud] and if it is, I'm not a lawyer but as a thought this is something so serious that it goes beyond the football authorities."

He added: "The sanctions cannot just be financial, so it's got to be way beyond that. If the appeal fails, Manchester City cannot stay in the league, they have to suffer. And I say that as a supporter and a fan."

The scale of the breaches uncovered by the independent commission is unprecedented in the history of the sport, spanning nearly a decade of domestic dominance. The Premier League's investigation concluded that the club had engaged in a sophisticated scheme to bypass spending limits, primarily through the use of artificial financial arrangements.

The commission's findings suggested that City had arranged "sham contracts" with number of commercial partners as a way to mask the true source of their funding, which reportedly exceeded £830m . These revelations have cast a shadow over the numerous trophies won by the club during the period in question, leading to calls for retrospective action from rival fans and former players alike.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has been vocal about the importance of the ruling, framing it as a necessary step to ensure a level playing field for all member clubs. In his official response to the verdict, Masters highlighted the systematic nature of the violations and the league's commitment to upholding its own regulations. "The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade," Masters stated.

"It also vindicates the Premier League's decision to pursue this case against Manchester City. While the process to date has been both long and difficult, the League has remained determined that the facts be established independently."

Unsurprisingly, Manchester City have not taken the findings lying down, immediately launching a fierce counter-offensive against the commission's conclusions. The club released a strongly worded statement expressing their "disappointment and surprise" at the verdict, while maintaining their complete innocence throughout the eight-year process.

In their official rebuttal, the club did not mince words, labeling the commission's opinion as fundamentally flawed. Manchester City have released a scathing official statement which reads: "Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission, that has been published today. The Club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case."