Man City players 'could rip up contracts' as rivals queue up to sue after guilty verdict

Manchester City's players could be entitled to rip up their contracts following the guilty verdict in the club's Premier League case, according to barrister Paul Gilroy KC, while the champions' top-flight rivals are reportedly queueing up to take legal action of their own.

Players 'could rip up contracts'

Writing in the Daily Mirror, Gilroy KC has explained how Manchester City players could be entitled to tear up their contracts in the wake of the verdict handed down by the independent commission — a development that would open yet another extraordinary front in the fallouout from the case.

The Mirror also reports that City's Premier League rivals could join forces in a class action, with clubs queueing up to sue after the independent commission's guilty verdict. A collective legal push by other top-flight clubs would mark an unprecedented escalation of the saga.

Commercial growth 'slowed significantly'

The Times, meanwhile, reports that City's commercial growth slowed significantly after the Premier League began its investigation in 2018 — underlining the financial toll the case has taken on the club even before any sporting punishment has been finalised.

How the verdict landed

Details of the verdict first emerged at the end of September. The Guardian reported on Monday 28 September that the Premier League had yet to officially confirm leaked reports that City had been found guilty of the vast majority of the more than 100 charges brought against them — but the club had already gone on the offensive, with chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak vowing the club's intent to prove its innocence.

Fines, points deductions and even relegation have all been mooted as possible punishments, while questions remain over a potential appeal, the EFL's position and the arrival of an independent regulator.

Former City manager Roberto Mancini was also drawn into the storm on Monday, appearing to acknowledge that he held a "double contract" during his title-winning spell in charge while insisting the fallouout was "not my problem".