Manchester City await the outcome of their appeal after being found guilty of 114 of the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League

Manchester City's legal fight with the Premier League has been branded a “disaster” for English football. The former champions have appealed the decision to find them guilty of 114 financial charges but are exepcted to face severe sanctions if that fails.

News emerged back in September that City had been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges that were brought against them by the Premier League. City maintain their innocence and swiftly confirmed they had submitted an appeal, with an outcome set to be reached in the New Year.

Under the Premier League’s current rules, an appeal hearing should be completed within 12 weeks, with the panel then having up to 30 days to issue its decision. If their appeal fails, City are facing the prospect of a points deduction, a huge fine and even expulsion from the Premier League.

Former striker and pundit Ally McCoist insisted he finds the situation 'sad' and that the punishment is bound to upset some clubs amid reports rivals are pushing for the most serious of penalties if City are found guilty again. McCoist also addressed comparisons to the case in which Rangers were relegated through the divisions in Scotland back in 2012.

“Man City being compared to Rangers? I get the comparison a little bit,” Ally McCoist said in an interview with talkSPORT Bet.

“There are no real comparisons in the legalities of it, but I understand the sentiment. If City lose the appeal, no matter what happens, people will be unhappy with the level of punishment.

“Some will think it’s too light, others too harsh. It leaves an overall sense of sadness more than anything else that we can’t get this resolved sooner. I understand there’s a legal and appeals process to go through, but it’s a disaster for the English game.

“I just felt sad watching Liverpool and City have a right go at each other, or seeing three incredible goals at Anfield, and then on Monday morning we’re talking about financial charges and whether goals will count. I just find that really sad.”

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Meanwhile, Emile Heskey, who played for Liverpool, Leicester, Birmingham and Aston Villa during his career, has predicted that City will face a 60-point deduction as punishment - which would likely condemn them to relegation.

“As for the off-field legal issues and their appeal, it’s so complex that it won’t be resolved quickly or sorted this season,” Heskey said, via BestBettingSites.

“Both sides are going to throw arguments back and forth, and it could go on for a year or more. Whether it ends in a massive points deduction or relegation, nobody knows yet, but it’s not getting settled straight away.

“I think they will probably get a 60-point deduction, but say City get 90-something points, or 100 – well, then they could stay up. They’ve got a chance. If they end up staying up, then I’m not sure that’s the right punishment from the point of view of other clubs. They will probably go into the Championship, but people will have questions about whether they should go into League One or League Two, instead.

“I don’t know what will be considered good enough, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a bit of negotiations behind the scenes to find an outcome that’s acceptable for everyone. That could go on for a year.”