Former England striker Darren Bent has demanded that Manchester City be relegated to League Two and barred from signing players for six years — should the club be found guilty of the 115 alleged financial rule breaches currently before an independent panel.

Bent, speaking on talkSPORT, was unambiguous about the scale of punishment he believes the situation demands. "City should be relegated to League Two, just like Rangers, and handed a 6-year transfer ban," he said.

The Rangers comparison

In making his case, Bent pointed to the fate of Scottish giants Rangers, who were forced to drop to the Third Division — the bottom tier of Scottish football — in 2012 after the club went into liquidation. He argued that a comparable act of sporting justice should apply to Manchester City if the verdict goes against them.

What Manchester City are accused of

The Premier League charged Manchester City in February 2023 with 115 alleged breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations, covering a period between 2009 and 2018. The club has consistently and strongly denied any wrongdoing.

An independent hearing into the charges began in September 2024 and concluded earlier this year, with a verdict still pending. The potential sanctions, if City are found guilty, range from financial penalties and points deductions to — in the most severe scenario — relegation.

Legal experts, however, have noted that a demotion as far down as League Two, combined with a multi-year transfer ban, would be entirely without precedent in the history of English football.

A deterrent, not just a punishment

Bent, now a prominent pundit after his playing career with clubs including Tottenham and Sunderland, argued that only a punishment of exceptional severity would send a credible message to the rest of English football. Anything short of that, he suggested, would fail to deter other clubs from similar conduct.