Former Man City Defender Demands Seven-Season Sanction for Financial Breaches

Former Manchester City defender, Danny Mills, has advocated for a stringent, seven-season penalty against his old club following allegations of over 100 breaches of Premier League financial regulations. Mills conveyed this stance in an exclusive interview with GB News on Saturday, arguing that a mere one-season sanction would fall short of addressing the gravity of the infractions.

According to Mills, any imposed punishment should span the duration covered by the most serious charges, which he identifies as a seven-season period. He suggested that during this time, City was "effectively" guilty of "financial doping." He emphasized, "If it were me, I think a very harsh punishment for a seven-year period would be fair, because one season does nothing. It becomes irrelevant."

Mills also expressed reservations about the fairness of relegating Manchester City to the Championship. He contended that such a move would disadvantage teams in the second tier, as City’s formidable squad — comprising first-team players, reserves, U21s, and those out on loan — would likely dominate the division. "I think that makes it unfair on teams in the EFL," he stated. He elaborated, "If a few players left, they’d blitz the Championship. So you’re taking away a promotion spot from someone in the Championship. Is that fair? Not really, I would say."

Furthermore, Mills dismissed the notion that Championship clubs would reap significant financial rewards from hosting Manchester City. He argued, "It’s not like you’re going to make massive revenue off Manchester City. The TV deal is not going to suddenly change because Man City are in the Championship for a season."

Shifting focus, Mills also predicted an intense and "incredibly hostile" atmosphere awaiting Manchester City when they visit Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday. He expects Liverpool supporters to creatively employ chants, banners, and flags to convey their sentiments. "Football fans are clever. They’ll come up with some interesting signs, some clever flags, some banners and some great songs, no doubt. So that’ll be quite interesting in itself," he remarked.

Mills believes this hostility could serve as a powerful motivator for City, fostering a "siege mentality." He envisioned a straightforward team talk: "It’s an easy team talk from Maresca: ‘The world hates us. Liverpool hates us. Let’s go out there and beat them.’"

While acknowledging that players might question joining a club without its past successes, Mills doubted that rival managers could effectively use the financial charges as a team talk. "It’s a hard sell for the players. The players are looking and going: ‘Really? That’s your team talk?’ So I leave that to the fans. I think Liverpool will just deal with it as a normal game," he said. He reiterated that City could leverage the widespread opposition: "Everybody wants us to lose today. Every single non-Manchester City fan wants us to get beat 3-0 or 4-0 and get it handed to us. Go out there and make sure that doesn’t happen."

PUNCH Online previously reported that Danny Mills played for Manchester City from 2004 to 2009, joining on a free transfer from Leeds United in July 2004. During his tenure, he made 51 league appearances, scoring once, and had loan stints at Hull City, Charlton Athletic, and Derby County before his release in 2009.