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Manchester City could ultimately be expelled from the Premier League after an independent commission found the club guilty of financial rule breaches, British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said, as debate grows over the possible sanctions facing the English champions.
The Premier League said City breached its financial rules on a large scale between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons, including through commercial arrangements described as "sham" deals that formed part of a disguised funding scheme.
City has said it will appeal the ruling, arguing that the commission's decision contains "clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe."
Nandy stressed that City remained entitled to an appeal and a fair hearing, but said expulsion was among the sanctions available if the findings were upheld.
"I mean, a club can be expelled from the Premier League if these sorts of allegations are upheld, with obviously huge repercussions for everybody."
She added that the broader issue was ensuring that financial rules were clearly understood, consistently applied and enforced quickly when breaches occurred.
Nandy also described the Premier League as one of Britain's major exports and said protecting its credibility was important for supporters.
Former Manchester City chairman David Bernstein described the findings as "damning beyond belief" and argued that any punishment could not be limited to a financial penalty.
Bernstein, who stepped down as chairman in 2003, also questioned whether members of the club's board should remain in their positions following the commission's findings.
He said that if City's appeal failed, the club should not remain in the Premier League.
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire similarly said the findings had gone far beyond what many had initially considered a worst-case outcome.
Maguire highlighted approximately £900 million ($1.2 billion) over a nine-year period referenced in connection with the financial findings and said the scale of the alleged misstatement was significant.
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City's planned appeal means the disciplinary process is not yet over. Maguire said sports lawyers he had spoken with believed an appeal would be difficult but not impossible, including through arguments over whether the dispute should fall outside football authorities and instead be dealt with through ordinary courts.
Reaction also came from City's own supporters. "Blue Moon" podcast host David Mooney said he had been taken aback by the scale of the findings and called it "a really dark day to be a City fan."
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane took an even stronger position, saying City players should throw away their medals if the findings stand.
"It's cheating. You're hearing nonsense about some ex-players saying 'oh well they won on the pitch'. Because it was cheating! It was cheating going on."
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