Ex-Man City winger believes club shouldn't face extreme punishment amid Everton support

Former Manchester City star Shaun Wright-Phillips has sympathised with Everton fans following their points deduction, but also believes City shouldn't have any trophies taken off them - if they are found guilty.

Days on from the news that Everton had received a 10-point deduction, the rest of the footballing world has offered plenty of sympathy with the spotlight also shining on Premier League rivals Manchester City.

Wright-Phillips' former club previously had 115 charges levelled at them earlier this year. City deny the charges and their case is ongoing.

And Wright-Phillips believes that any extreme punishment would be unjust on City's part: "I don’t think it would be fair for Manchester City to be stripped of any of their previous honours should they be found guilty of any of the charges against them." He told NewBettingOffers.co.uk "It wouldn’t be fair, and I don’t think clubs would want to take those trophies off of City. They wouldn't feel like they rightfully deserved them.

“Regardless of what was happening off the pitch when these allegations first surfaced, the team still had to be managed and the players still had to perform in the way they did to win those titles.

"Whatever happens off the field shouldn’t take away from everything that the managers, players and fans did for the club. They are the reason why the club has won what they have."

With Wright-Phillips showing sympathy towards his former club, he kept the same energy when it came to Everton - claiming it was incredibly unfair. He also sympathised with the fans as well, who he believes are also being punished for something out of their control.

“The punishment Everton have been given is wrong,” he said. “What has happened off the pitch is not the players’ fault, it’s not the fans’ fault, but they are being punished for doing nothing wrong.

“I think there has to be a better way to handle it because now there is a chance that they will get relegated and the players don’t deserve that. The fans go every week and spend their money to watch Premier League football, as they have done for so many years, but they too could be punished for what has happened behind the scenes."