According to The Guardian, after Manchester City FC was found to have breached financial rules over 100 times, multiple Premier League clubs are pressuring the league to impose sanctions that could result in Manchester City FC's expulsion from the top flight for an extended period. They believe that relegation to the Championship for just one season is insufficient punishment.

Executives from multiple Premier League clubs told The Guardian that given the scale of Manchester City FC's violations, relegation to the Championship for just one season via points deduction would not constitute adequate punishment. An independent panel described Manchester City FC's actions as "hidden financing schemes" and "fraudulent transactions," which inflated the club's revenue by as much as £900 million between 2009 and 2018.

Although these clubs are not involved in the disciplinary process, their strong dissatisfaction with Manchester City FC reflects the challenges the Premier League faces in concluding this case, which has been ongoing for nearly eight years. The independent panel, which previously found Manchester City FC guilty of nearly all 115 charges, will determine the sanctions. However, the final outcome remains subject to the club's appeal. Manchester City FC's appeal will be considered by a newly established independent panel.

Under new Premier League rules implemented this season, the appeal process must conclude within 12 weeks from the deadline for submitting the appeal this Friday. The independent panel will then have a further 30 days to issue a decision, meaning the appeal outcome is expected by the end of January next year. Although unconfirmed, the disciplinary hearing may proceed simultaneously, but the sanction decision will not be announced until the appeal outcome is known. Manchester City FC can subsequently appeal any sanctions imposed by the independent panel.

Manchester City FC may attempt to delay proceedings further. The club could argue that the new accelerated timeline for handling cases was only introduced this season, and since the charges against them relate to past conduct, the new rules should not apply to their case.

Manchester City FC previously succeeded in delaying the announcement of the independent panel's "principal decision." This decision, which followed the appeal process, was ultimately made public last Tuesday.

As the prosecutor, the Premier League can propose desired sanctions during the disciplinary hearing, and Manchester City FC can present its position, with the independent panel making the final determination. The Premier League's position on sanctions will be decided independently by the Executive Board without interference from individual clubs. The Executive Board comprises Chair Alison Brittain, Chief Executive Richard Masters, and three independent non-executive directors: Mai Fyfield, Dharmash Mistry, and Kingsley Counsel Matthew Rider.

The independent panel can impose various sanctions, including points deduction, player trading bans, and expulsion from the Premier League. Given the scale of Manchester City FC's violations, the independent panel believes there is currently no comparable precedent case.

Manchester City FC stated: "We are innocent of the charges brought by the Premier League. We possess comprehensive and irrefutable evidence to support all aspects of our position in this case."

Three years ago, in the Premier League's first successful prosecution under the Profit and Sustainability rules, Everton was sanctioned for exceeding the permitted loss limit by £19.5 million. The Premier League requested a 12-point deduction for Everton in the disciplinary hearing, but the independent panel ultimately decided on a 10-point deduction, which was later reduced to 6 points following appeal. The independent panel found that without the inflated revenue, Manchester City FC would have violated Premier League and UEFA spending limits across multiple seasons. Consequently, multiple clubs are demanding far stricter punishment for Manchester City FC and will continue to push for the entire process to be concluded before the end of this season.

A source from one club told The Guardian: "Relegation for just one season is not enough. The independent panel must impose sanctions proportionate to years of sustained cheating and deliberate misconduct, while also establishing strong deterrents to prevent similar situations from occurring again."

The Premier League faces an additional challenge: preventing other clubs from launching wider lawsuits against Manchester City FC to seek financial compensation. Earlier this year, Burnley sued Everton over Profit and Sustainability violations and received £35 million following arbitration. Burnley claimed Everton's breach caused them to be relegated at the end of the 2021-22 season. This decision set a precedent for clubs to claim damages from rule violations by other teams. Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Liverpool reserved the right to sue two years ago. Now that the independent panel's decision has been announced, these four clubs have been informally discussing whether to file suits, though each will decide independently. The severity of Manchester City FC's ultimate punishment may be a crucial factor influencing their decisions.

Additionally, multiple Premier League clubs remain dissatisfied with the £10 million settlement the Premier League reached with Chelsea this year. Chelsea had reported improper payments to players and agents by former owner Roman Abramovich's regime.

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