Gary Neville reckons "all hell will break loose" if Manchester City win the Premier League title this season, with the club now found guilty of serious financial breaches.
City face a period of uncertainty. A ruling found them guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the league's financial rules over nine seasons, along with the majority of charges linked to a failure to cooperate with Premier League investigations. The club stood accused of "systematically breaching Premier League rules for close to a decade". A damning report on City's 130 charges also revealed they concealed 900 million pounds in "sham" commercial deals.
Manchester City have long denied any wrongdoing and vowed to prove their innocence, lodging a formal appeal. Speculation points to a huge points deduction or an enormous fine, but the club's determination to fight it out in the courts could complicate matters further.
Neville believes the case must be settled by February or March to avoid the risk of City lifting the title. Speaking on the "Overlap Daily" programme, he told British newspaper "The Sun": "It would be extremely difficult to watch Manchester City win the league this year."
He added: "If Manchester City lift the Premier League title in May, I think all hell will break loose. I think this matter needs to be dealt with by February or March."
The pundit also claimed City would fail the Premier League's owners' and directors' test, drawing on his own experience as owner of Salford City. "As an owner and director, I am aware of the actual criteria of this test," he said. "If it is the same test that I have to follow in order to be a director and owner, they would fail it. It is as simple as that."