The Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST) has released an official statement following the verdict in the financial case against Manchester City. The group has called for the harshest possible sanctions against their fierce rivals if the accusations across 114 out of 115 charges hold up after appeal.
Representatives of the organisation stressed that this is not merely a case of bookkeeping errors or coincidences:
This is industrial-scale fraud on an unprecedented level. The punishment must correspond to the seriousness of the crime and serve as a genuine deterrent for any investor. Stripping titles and retroactive measures could be part of the solution, but the key question is what happens next. Manchester City has become one of the hegemons of world football. If this status was achieved through systematic deception, a season out of the Premier League would preserve all the advantages they have gained. The punishment must completely nullify the benefit created, rather than just create temporary inconveniences.
Furthermore, the fans of the Red Devils have called into question the current owners' right to manage the club. The statement asserts that if the verdict is confirmed, football authorities must consider the exclusion of Manchester City from the league structures, potentially leading to a complete change of ownership for the team.
