Danger of Premier League 'becoming a laughing stock' - Townsend

[Getty Images] Does financial cheating take away from sporting merit? That's the question BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club has been debating after Manchester City were found guilty of the majority of their 115 financial rule breaches. The club lifted eight trophies between 2009 and 2018, the nine-year period in which they are accused of breaching the Premier League's financial rules. "There are going to be lots of grey areas in this one," former Chelsea player Pat Nevin said. "There is a great morality argument for other players to say: 'I deserved that and Manchester City took it off me'. "I would love to know how much money is going to be spent by the Premier League on legal fees. This could all badly affect the English game. "I'm sure all of these financial rules were brought in with the best of intentions but, if it goes badly wrong, this could well be the biggest own-goal in football history." Former Premier League winger Andros Townsend added: "We all want the right thing to be done, but I do worry about the integrity of the league if the past 10 years are wiped out all of a sudden. "The Premier League would become a laughing stock, but obviously the right thing has to be done in a legal sense." Former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart admitted: "I can't get involved in the ifs, buts and maybes. I know what we did, I know what I did and I know what happened. "Right now, I'm very confident and proud of what we achieved as a team. That won't change until someone tells me otherwise." There was plenty of praise for Manchester City fans' "brilliant attitude" towards the situation away from the main debate, with Nevin particularly impressed by their graciousness. "I've absolutely loved not hearing a sense of entitlement from the fans," he added. "They have been telling me: 'Yes we had great times, but if it all goes wrong then we have to accept it. If we end up in another division, we will still be there supporting our team'. "I've actually been quite moved by the way they have been commenting on it." Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds [BBC]