‘Out of the league for a season or two’ – Man City make ‘brave’ call amid talk of Premier League expulsion punishment in 115-charge FFP case

The reigning champions of England continue to fight a Financial Fair Play (FFP) case that has seen at least 115 charges brought against them. The hearing is now open, with City waiting to discover what the final outcome will be.

There has been talk of expulsion from the Premier League, or the EFL as a whole, while points deductions and transfer embargoes have also been speculated on. City maintain their innocence, though, and continue to draw up long-term plans.

It has been revealed that the North Stand at the Etihad Stadium will be renovated, taking the venue’s capacity above 60,000 from the 2025-26 campaign. Former Everton chief Keith Wyness has told Football Insider of City making that decision against the backdrop of uncertainty on the FFP front: “Man City have been brave throughout the 115 charges situation. They’ve looked everyone in the eye, maintained their innocence – and only time will tell us what comes out of the hearing. It’s a big sign, to increase the Etihad’s capacity to that level. But they’ve got to do it to stay competitive in the Premier League.

“If they do get a punishment and they are out of the league for a season or two, that’s about the time it will take to finish this construction. They will plead their innocence to the last day and this is just another part of that. Attendances and ticket prices have been a big question at City, but that could just be because they have so many high-level games continually. But they’ll be able to pick up the tourism factor as well and fill those seats – they’ll have no problems with a 60,000-seat stadium.”

City can welcome just over 53,000 spectators through their doors at present, with the plan being to generate even more revenue from the matchday experience. They may, however, struggle to fill such a vast arena if they are dumped out of the Premier League and forced to climb back up the Football League ladder.