Manchester City are facing growing pressure from rival Premier League clubs, with several executives reportedly believing the club should receive far more than a single-season points deduction if its guilty verdict is upheld on appeal.
An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations covering the period from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The verdict followed one of the longest and most closely watched disciplinary cases in English football.
City have strongly rejected the findings and have lodged an appeal, meaning no final sporting punishment has yet been imposed. However, the debate over what an appropriate sanction should look like has already intensified across the Premier League.
The commission found that City had used what it described as sham commercial arrangements and a disguised funding scheme involving more than £830 million of owner funding presented as sponsorship income. The findings also included serious concerns about the club’s cooperation with the Premier League investigation.
That scale is now central to the argument from rival clubs.
Why rival clubs want more than relegation
According to reports, there is a growing feeling among several Premier League boardrooms that simply deducting enough points to send Manchester City into the Championship for one season would not adequately reflect the seriousness or duration of the alleged rule breaches.
The concern is straightforward: City have the financial resources, infrastructure and squad-building capability to return to the Premier League quickly if relegation were the only major sporting consequence.
Some clubs therefore believe a punishment should extend across multiple seasons rather than being concentrated into one campaign. A points deduction spread over several years has been discussed, while a transfer ban covering multiple windows could make it considerably harder for City to rebuild their squad immediately.
That would represent a fundamentally different approach from a traditional one-season sporting punishment.
Sky Sports reported that rival clubs do not expect City to remain in the Premier League next season if the appeal fails, while executives believe a simple relegation could be insufficient given the scale of the case.
There is also concern about timing. One club source reportedly questioned whether it would make sense for City to conduct normal transfer business while the disciplinary process remains unresolved.
Could Manchester City be stripped of their trophies?
One of the most explosive possibilities being discussed is retrospective punishment.
Manchester City won three Premier League titles during the period covered by the commission’s findings. They also won the FA Cup, three League Cups and a Community Shield during those seasons.
Some rival figures believe those honours should be removed if City’s appeal fails.
The argument is not necessarily that the trophies should automatically be handed to the runners-up. Instead, there is an alternative view that the titles could simply be left vacant.
That would create an extraordinary situation in the Premier League record books.
The 2011-12 title, for example, was won by City after Sergio Aguero’s famous stoppage-time goal against Queens Park Rangers. The 2013-14 championship was secured ahead of Liverpool, while City also won the 2017-18 Premier League after finishing with a then-record 100 points.
However, stripping titles is far from an agreed outcome. Previous reports have suggested there is not universal support among Premier League clubs for retrospectively removing City’s trophies.
That disagreement highlights just how complicated the next stage could become.
A points tariff could change the history books
Another idea reportedly being discussed is a retrospective “tariff-based” points system.
Under such a model, City could theoretically have points deducted from the seasons in which the breaches occurred. Their adjusted league positions would then be recalculated, potentially changing where rival clubs finished in those campaigns.
Compensation could also become part of the discussion if other clubs can demonstrate that they suffered financially because of City’s conduct.
This is particularly significant because the consequences of a historic financial breach are not necessarily limited to the club accused of breaking the rules.
If a team gained a competitive advantage over several seasons, rival clubs could argue that they missed out on prize money, European qualification, bonuses or other commercial opportunities.
There are already reports that some clubs and players are examining possible compensation claims should City’s guilty verdict survive the appeal process.
City’s appeal remains the biggest factor
Despite the growing discussion about punishment, it is important to remember that Manchester City continue to deny wrongdoing.
The club has described the commission’s judgment as containing serious legal and factual errors and has submitted a comprehensive appeal. City maintain that they have evidence supporting their position and remain determined to overturn the verdict.
That appeal must be resolved before the full consequences of the commission’s findings can be understood.
The Premier League’s disciplinary process is therefore entering another crucial stage. The appeal will determine whether the commission’s findings stand, while a separate sanctions process would then establish what punishment, if any, should be imposed.
UEFA is also monitoring the situation. Five of the charges upheld against City relate to historic UEFA Financial Fair Play requirements, although any potential action from European football’s governing body would depend on the outcome of the Premier League process and UEFA’s own rules.
What could happen next?
If City’s appeal succeeds, the current debate over sanctions could change dramatically.
If the guilty verdict is upheld, however, the Premier League could face one of the most consequential disciplinary decisions in its history.
Possible measures include a points deduction, relegation, transfer restrictions, financial penalties and potentially more severe sporting sanctions. The precise combination will depend on the disciplinary process and the commission’s assessment of what would be proportionate.
The biggest question is whether the Premier League chooses to punish Manchester City’s historic conduct, restrict the club’s future ability to compete, or attempt to do both.
That is why the idea of a multi-season points deduction and transfer restrictions has gained attention. Rival clubs clearly do not want a punishment that City could overcome within a single season.
For Manchester City, the stakes could hardly be higher. The club has built one of the most successful teams in modern English football, but the verdict has created uncertainty around its trophies, finances, recruitment and long-term position within the Premier League.
The case is not over yet. City’s appeal remains the immediate focus, and until that process is completed, any discussion about relegation, title stripping or transfer bans remains hypothetical.
But one thing is already clear: the Manchester City financial case has moved beyond a debate about one club’s accounts. It has become a major test of how seriously the Premier League is prepared to enforce its financial rules.
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