Former England captain Gary Lineker has weighed in on the ongoing situation surrounding Manchester City, urging the club to admit to their financial misconduct and accept any forthcoming punishment.
City was found guilty of violating the league's financial rules over nine seasons—from 2009/10 to 2017/18. Additionally, the club faced three out of four charges related to failing to cooperate with the investigation.
The Premier League stated that Manchester City had employed fictitious commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate expenditure by more than £900 million over nearly a decade, during which the club collected several trophies.
Despite this, Manchester City has appealed the decision and continues to assert their innocence.
Lineker believes acknowledging guilt could help bring closure to a prolonged affair.
“It’s clear that this looks pretty bad for Manchester City right now—and it’s damaging for football as a whole. I’d like to see them just say, ‘Okay, we made a mistake. For the good of football, we’ll accept this, take any punishment, and move on,’” Lineker stated at the Leaders Week sports conference held at Stamford Bridge.
The former player, who donned the shirts of Everton, Tottenham, and Barcelona, noted that this situation harms English football, with fans and players most likely to suffer the consequences.
When asked about the possibility of Manchester City being stripped of their three championship titles won during this contentious period, Lineker replied:
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it heads that way. But, once again—who really suffers in the end? The players and the fans.”
Manchester City's appeal will be heard behind closed doors, with uncertainty surrounding whether sanctions will be announced before the appeal process and if they will take immediate effect.
Currently, City tops the Premier League with 15 points from five matches, and they will be aiming for a sixth consecutive win when they face Liverpool on Sunday.
