Liverpool fc

Liverpool fans are worried Manchester City will get away with “just a fine” after they were charged by the Premier League with more than 100 alleged breaches of financial regulations .

Pep Guardiola’s side are staring down the barrel of a number of severe sanctions, with a points deduction and even trophy rescindments a very real possibility. But despite the looming threats, Liverpool supporters on social media seem convinced City will be handed a slap on the wrist at best.

“Don’t even get your hopes up, they’ll get a fine and that’s it,” one Reds fan fumed. Another said: “Would love to see them get properly taken to school, but nothing will happen.”

READ MORE: Man City charged with Prem FFP breaches and ‘could get points deduction’

A third commented: “Bellingham is ours if they get a transfer ban, but they won’t will they? Small fine incoming.”

Other punishments City could face include expulsion from the Premier League, expulsion from European football, and a transfer ban. The startling charges come just over two weeks after Serie A giants Juventus was docked 15 points following an investigation into the club’s finances.

Reacting to news of the charges on Monday, a financial advisor who used to work for the Citizens insisted that if the financial regulation breaches were proven, City must be relegated from the Premier League.

What punishment do you expect Man City to receive? Let us know in the comments section below.

The charges relate to breaches allegedly made over the course of nine seasons, beginning in 2009/10 and ending in 2017/18 season.

A statement from the Premier League said, “In accordance with Premier League Rule W.82.1, the Premier League confirms that it has today referred a number of alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules by Manchester City Football Club to a Commission.”

These charges have come as a result of an investigation that was launched in 2018. It arose when German outlet Der Spiegel published documents obtained by Portuguese computer hacker Rui Pinto.

These documents, which were part of the Football Leaks Cache, alleged the Citizens had overstated sponsorship income with money paid by the club’s Abu Dhabi owners, instead of sponsors connected with the Gulf State.

In 2020, City were banned from Champions League football for two seasons by UEFA, but the ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, after accusations the club disguised at least £204m of sponsorship could not be proven. The fine, which was believed to be around £27m, was also reduced to approximately £8.9m.

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Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has called on Jurgen Klopp to apologise for his treatment of a journalist in a press conference, believing the Reds manager was disrespectful and even showed signs of bullying.

Klopp refused to answer a question from James Pearce, journalist for The Athletic, after Liverpool were beaten 3-0 by Wolves in the Premier League.

In response to a question about his team’s preparation for matches and mentality, Klopp said to Pearce: ‘It’s very difficult to talk to you if I’m 100 percent honest. I would prefer not to do that.’

He explained: ‘You know why, for all the things you wrote. So If somebody else wanted to ask that question then I’ll answer it.’

The German then went on to answer the same question from another journalist.

Hamann was not at all impressed with his compatriot and felt it was not behaviour befitting of a Liverpool manager.

‘I found it very strange and petty and what he has to realise is that James Pearce and his family get bombarded with abusive messages since that incident because Klopp didn’t answer a question,’ Hamann told talkSPORT.

‘It was a perfectly good question to ask him and I think the least James deserves is an apology. Liverpool is a club that is based on respect and I think someone has to tell [Klopp] ‘This is Liverpool Football Club and you can’t do this.

‘We have campaigns against bullying and you can’t have the Liverpool manager behave the way he did.

‘I feel nobody at the club has the bottle to tell him, which I think they should. The way things are going at the moment, these things don’t help him and they certainly don’t help the club, which is above everything else.

‘You can’t have a situation where the manager disrespects a very well respected journalist like he did to James Pearce.’

Hamann and Klopp have something of an ongoing beef, which has been stewing this season.

The former Reds star, who played for Liverpool between 1999 and 2006, aimed a dig at Klopp earlier this season and suggested that his time at Anfield was coming to an end.

Klopp was furious with his comments and hit back at him but Hamann doubled down and insisted that it was ‘obvious’ that Liverpool have ‘problems’ this campaign.

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Didi Hamann insists he doesn’t understand Jurgen Klopp ’s scathing criticism of him after he outlined his concerns over Liverpool’s recent form ahead of last night’s crushing Champions League win over Rangers.

Last season’s beaten finalists have endured a difficult start to the new campaign and are already 14 points off the pace following Sunday’s defeat against early pacesetters Arsenal.

Hamann, a former Liverpool midfielder, questioned whether Klopp had the energy to spark Liverpool back into life and claimed to have seen signs his reign might be coming to an end.

‘At some stage, I think we will have that discussion about the manager and I’m not sure how far we are off that,’ Hamann told talkSPORT.

‘He said that he still feels that he’s the right man to do it, but I see little things like Jordan Henderson midweek seeing his number going up and reluctantly taking his armband off and coming off, shaking his head.

‘This is something that we haven’t seen at Liverpool for five years. Maybe these are little signs that people have little problems with the team or even the manager.

‘The dynamics at Liverpool are no different to anywhere else and if the results aren’t there then the manager will come under pressure.’

Klopp responded with a brutal dig during his pre-match press conference, saying: ‘Oh great, he’s a fantastic source, well respected everywhere.

‘That [being a former Liverpool player] doesn’t give you the right to say what you want especially when you have no idea. I actually think Didi Hamann doesn’t deserve that you use his phrase to ask me a question.

‘Do me a favour and ask your own question. Try to ask a question without the word spark, that’s the challenge now.’

Liverpool responded to their growing list of doubters by thrashing Rangers at Ibrox last night with Mohamed Salah scoring a quickfire six-minute hat-trick, having been introduced as a second-half substitute.

Despite the emphatic nature of Liverpool’s victory, Hamann insists there are still signs that problems remain at his old club.

He said via Sport Bild : ‘It’s about the matter for me: It’s obvious that there are problems in Liverpool at the moment.

‘Klopp may see it differently and if he thinks I’m talking nonsense, then he should say so.

‘I have no problem with that at all, you have to respect other opinions – and that’s why I didn’t really understand what he said yesterday.’

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Manchester City could be stripped off their Premier League titles if they are deemed to have breached Financial Fair Play Restrictions.

An extraordinary statement from the Premier League announced the club have been charged with allegedly breaching financial fair play regulations in the seasons beginning in the 2009/10 campaign all the way up to the 2017/18 season. They are under suspicion of more than 100 alleged breaches.

City could be handed a hefty points penalty and could even be expelled from the Premier League entirely. During this period, City won three Premier League titles.

Read More: How Premier League table will look if Man City are docked same points as Juventus

They won their first title in the top division in the 2011/12 season, before lifting the trophy again in 2014 and 2018. Fierce rivals Manchester United were runners-up to the sky blues in 2012 and 2018, while Liverpool here pipped to the title by Manuel Pellegrini’s side in 2014.

However, if City are to be stripped off these titles, their accolades will not be handed down to Liverpool and United. As was the case when Juventus were stripped off their 2004/05 and 2005/06 Serie A titles, in the wake of the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal, the Premier League would not hand the titles to the club in second.

Instead, the campaigns would be classed as having no victors at all. City have responded to the Premier League statement detailing the rules they are alleged to have broken.

The Citizens stated they were “surprised” by the allegations and are determined to fight the charges. “Manchester City FC is surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches of the Premier League Rules, particularly given the extensive engagement and vast amount of detailed materials that the EPL has been provided with,” a firm statement from the club read.

“The Club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position.

“As such we look forward to this matter being put to rest once and for all.”

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Jamie Carragher has backed Arsenal to beat Manchester City to the Premier League title after both teams suffered setbacks this weekend.

Premier League leaders Arsenal appeared to suffer a costly defeat to relegation-battlers Everton on Saturday , but title rivals Man City were unable to capitalise as they lost to Tottenham .

The results mean Arsenal – bidding to win the title for the first time since 2004 – remain five points ahead of defending champions Manchester City with a game in hand.

‘There’s still a long way to go but you’re almost waiting for Manchester City to kick in and to be the Man City we know so well,’ Carragher told Sky Sports when asked about the title rivals.

‘It just feels like this might be the season where they’re not quite themselves, for lots of different reasons. It’s not the Man City of old.

‘This idea that they’re going to do what they’ve done to Liverpool a couple of times in the title race, I’m not sure it will happen.

‘It feels like a different Manchester City that we’re watching right now.’

The former Liverpool and England defender added: ‘There’s so long to go. Neither team should panic. There will be a lot of ups and downs.

‘But I do think Arsenal have the edge, because they’ve been the most impressive team so far. We’re still waiting to see the real Man City but it’s not quite happening for them.

‘The two games between those teams are massive but I fancy Arsenal right now.’

Arsenal have enjoyed a sensational season but slipped up at Goodison Park earlier in the weekend as Sean Dyche enjoyed the perfect start to his tenure as Everton manager.

A Manchester City win against Tottenham would have seen the gap at the top of the table cut to just two points but Harry Kane’s record-breaking goal saw City succumb to a deflating defeat.

Reacting to Man City’s loss, Pep Guardiola said: ‘We started really well, they didn’t cross halfway, or just once and we concede a goal, like happened two weeks ago.

‘A well organised team, physical, we can’t expect to create a lot of chances. When we lose balls in transitions it is more difficult.

‘We created chances but it was difficult. Most of the time to come here, we are not able to win the game – it is not easy to play them and these type of games we have to try and do the situation. The intention is there.’

Asked if it was an opportunity missed following Arsenal’s second defeat of the season, Guardiola added: ‘It is football. Arsenal drop points and there was a good opportunity but we knew how difficult it was in this stadium.’

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