'Everybody would love to see it happen' - Premier League 'scared' of relegating Man City to the Championship in FFP case & 'ridiculous' £500m fine would mean nothing

The ultimate punishment for City?

Manchester City must face automatic relegation to the Championship if the independent commission finds them guilty of the 115 charges levelled against them, according to former scout Bryan King. The club has been under intense scrutiny since the Premier League initially

"The only way you would teach them a lesson is to put them in the Championship," King told

Are the authorities strong enough?

Despite the severity of the allegations, which include failure to provide accurate financial information and lack of cooperation, there is a growing belief that City's influence makes them untouchable. King suggests that while the footballing public may crave a landmark punishment, the institutions in charge may blink when faced with the prospect of demoting a global powerhouse.

"You know, the hardest thing would be points deduction and relegation. But it's not going to happen. Manchester City are too powerful in the Premier League. They're too powerful in England. Everybody would love to see it happen. But are the Premier League and the Football League or the FA, are they strong enough to do it? I don't think so, to be honest," King added.

Defiance from the Etihad boardroom

While the outside world debates their fate, the leadership at Manchester City remains remarkably calm. Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak has

Al-Mubarak has been firm about his silence during the legal proceedings, stating: "Let me be as consistent as I've always been - until we have a ruling, I can't say much. Once we have a ruling, believe me, I'll say everything I've wanted to say for the last three years." This defiance suggests the club believes its legal defence will eventually see the charges dismissed entirely.

A verdict that will change football

The sporting world is now in a holding pattern, waiting for the document that could reshape the hierarchy of English football. Legal experts suggest that

If City are cleared, the Premier League faces a crisis of authority; if they are found guilty, the scale of the punishment will set the standard for decades to come. With the charges being of such high severity, a simple fine is viewed by many as an insufficient deterrent. However, whether the Premier League has the stomach to enforce a top-flight expulsion remains the multi-million pound question hanging over the Etihad.