Manchester City rivals press for sanctions beyond one-season relegation

Executives at several Premier League clubs believe a punishment that relegates Manchester City for only one season would be inadequate, according to a report by the Guardian. Their calls for a longer absence from the top division follow an independent commission's findings against City over financial rule breaches. No final sanction has been announced, and City continue to deny the accusations.

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The Guardian's Matt Hughes reported that City were found guilty of more than 100 charges. According to the report, the commission concluded that arrangements involving commercial income allowed the club to inflate revenue by £900m between 2009 and 2018. Rival executives are seeking a punishment they consider proportionate to the duration and scale of those findings, rather than a points deduction resulting in a brief relegation.

Those clubs will not decide the penalty. The Guardian reported that the commission responsible for the findings will also determine sanctions, with City's appeal against the ruling to be heard by a separate independent panel. The Premier League can argue for a preferred punishment at the sanctions hearing, but its position will be set by its board independently of the clubs pressing for a tougher outcome.

The available penalties include deductions of points, restrictions on transfers and expulsion from the Premier League, according to the report. City maintain that they are innocent and say evidence supports their position. The existence of those possible sanctions does not establish which, if any, will ultimately apply after the appeal process, and the club could also appeal a subsequent punishment.

Timing remains unresolved. The Guardian reported that rules introduced this season require the appeal hearing to finish within 12 weeks of Friday's submission deadline, followed by up to 30 days for a judgment. That timetable points towards a decision by the end of January, but the report noted that City could challenge the application of the new deadlines to historic charges. A concurrent sanctions hearing was described as possible, not confirmed.

Rival clubs are also seeking completion of the case before the season ends. Separately, the Guardian reported that Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool have held informal discussions about potential compensation claims after previously reserving their rights to sue. Each would make its own decision; those discussions do not mean that new claims have been filed.