Former England and Liverpool striker Emile Heskey thinks it could take a year before any Manchester City punishment is made official.
However Heskey thinks that even if Man City are given a 60-point penalty, they might still be good enough to get so many points that they would still stay up.
That leads him to believe that some clubs or fans might want Man City sent down to League One or even League Two as a result of the recent guilty verdict.
Heskey also thinks that there might be behind-the-scenes talks going on to decide a punishment that everyone is willing to accept.
No quick resolution
During an exclusive sitdown interview with BestBettingSites, Heskey said: “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.
“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.”
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