Everton and other clubs may have grounds to take action against Man City, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire.
City were found guilty by an independent commission of arranging sham contracts to inflate revenues by more than £900m between 2009 and 2018. The commission also found the club failed to cooperate with its investigation. They deny any wrongdoing and have appealed.
What a “potential case” would need
Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside’s Giulia Bould, Maguire said any claim would come down to proving damage on the pitch.
“If you have been disadvantaged in the sense that your league position, because you got two pastings from City in that season, and the clubs around you picked up one or two points, then there is a potential case,” he said.
Proving City broke the rules is only the first step, then. A club would also have to show the breach cost it points, and with them a place in the table. That is a tough test, and with City’s appeal still to come, nothing is close to being settled.
The logic is straightforward. A club that took a heavy beating from City, then finished behind sides that picked up points elsewhere, may argue it paid for the breach with its league position. Whether that argument could ever stand up is another matter.
Even so, expect plenty of clubs, Everton included, to be watching closely.
Hear more from BBC Sport Merseyside: http://bbc.in/4AXHEp3
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