Club officials want Manchester City sanction settled this season

Manchester City’s punishment for breaches of Premier League financial rules should be decided before the end of this season, senior football figures told BBC Sport on 30 September. Their call follows an independent commission’s findings against the club, announced by the league the previous day. The commission has yet to decide a sanction, and City says it will appeal, leaving the timing and outcome unresolved.

One club official, speaking anonymously to BBC Sport, said: ‘It benefits everyone for this to be resolved as quickly as possible.’ Asked whether that would happen, the official said their instinct was yes, but added that the process ‘has to be done right’. Those comments express a preference and an expectation; they do not set a deadline for the commission.

Why club figures want a decision before season’s end

BBC Sport reported concern among football figures that reaching the end of the campaign without a sanction could leave the competition in uncertainty, particularly if City were to win the title. Another unnamed source told the broadcaster the case ‘should’ be resolved by season’s end and hoped any appeal would be ‘compressed’. Neither source was identified in the report.

The concern arises because the findings and the punishment are being handled in separate stages. A decision on what rules City breached has been announced, but the independent commission still has to address the sanction. The Premier League says that will happen at a further hearing, which will remain private and confidential until publication of its outcome is permitted.

What the commission found about Manchester City

According to the league, the commission found that sham commercial arrangements were used to inflate City’s revenue and reduce its costs by more than £900 million during the affected period. The league said the commission found that City filed misstated accounts, concealed its true finances from auditors and football regulators, and significantly breached Premier League and UEFA spending limits.

The league also quoted the commission as finding that City had made ‘concerted efforts to stop and frustrate’ the investigation. These are the commission’s findings as described in the Premier League’s statement. They explain the seriousness of the ruling, but the statement does not announce what punishment the commission will impose.

City disputes the decision. In its club statement, it said it was ‘disappointed and surprised’ by the commission’s opinion, asserted that it was innocent of the accusations and said it would pursue the appeal avenues available to it. The club alleged material errors of law, principle and fact in the opinion. Its challenge is therefore part of the remaining process.

How the sanction and appeal process may proceed

The Premier League says the independent commission has broad discretion over sanctions. Its rules list fines, points deductions and other sporting sanctions among the possibilities. No sanction has been announced, so none of those outcomes can yet be treated as the result of this case. The separate hearing must address what should follow from the findings.

The league said City had until Friday 2 October to appeal the commission’s findings. It also said its board wants the full process, including any appeals and publication of relevant decisions, concluded as soon as possible. That stated intention is not a date for the sanction hearing, an appeal decision or the final outcome.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said the sanction was among the elements still to be decided. He said the league was committed to moving swiftly through the remaining process to provide certainty for clubs and fans. BBC Sport reported that senior football figures believe a resolution this season is possible, while City chief executive Ferran Soriano has suggested the case will run for a long time.

Why the case has already taken years

The Premier League says its investigation began in December 2018 and that it issued a complaint in February 2023. A 42-day commission hearing ended in December 2024. In explaining the time taken to produce its decision, the commission referred to extensive documents, approximately 7,000 pages of witness and expert transcripts, and detailed submissions from the parties.

That history is part of why the new call for speed matters: clubs and supporters now have findings about conduct spanning nine seasons, but still lack a sanction and a final result after any appeal. The officials quoted by BBC Sport want that uncertainty resolved before this season ends. For now, the next formal steps rest with City’s appeal decision and the independent commission’s sanction process.

NewsJaws’ earlier report on the Manchester City verdict covered the findings and possible next steps. The development now is the call from senior football figures for the punishment process to finish during the current season. The league has expressed a wish to move swiftly, but neither it nor the commission has announced that timetable.