Manchester City could face a range of severe sanctions, including having past Premier League titles stripped and being subjected to transfer bans, if the club fails in its appeal against a ruling that found it guilty of financial breaches.
According to BBC Sport, several rival clubs believe any punishment must extend beyond a points deduction and address both the period covered by the charges and City’s future participation in the Premier League.
An independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the league’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The club has consistently denied wrongdoing and is appealing the verdict.
Sources at several Premier League clubs told the BBC that relegation accompanied by a single-season points deduction would not adequately reflect the scale of the findings.
At least four club boardrooms are understood to favour a more extensive punishment, while one senior club source argued that City should lose the eight major trophies they won during the period covered by the verdict.
The source said there was “no great rush” to redistribute the titles, suggesting instead that the honours could simply be left vacant.
However, views are not unanimous. BBC Sport said it had previously been told that some clubs had little appetite for stripping City of their titles, highlighting the divisions over how any eventual punishment should be handled.
There is also disagreement over how a potential relegation punishment should be structured.
Some clubs believe a points deduction limited to a single season would amount to a “bump in the road”, allowing City to return to the Premier League quickly and resume their challenge for major honours.
Instead, they favour spreading a points deduction across multiple seasons.
Transfer restrictions are another proposal being considered, with some clubs backing bans covering several windows to prevent City from rebuilding immediately if relegated.
One club source described it as “bizarre, almost obtuse” for City to be permitted to operate in the January transfer window while the appeal process remained unresolved and sanctions had yet to be imposed.
Another proposal would introduce a “tariff-based system”, with City’s previous league positions adjusted through points deductions. Rival clubs could then receive compensation based on where they would have finished without the alleged breaches.
City’s first Premier League match since the verdict became public will come against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
The club is expected to address the matter internally when manager Enzo Maresca speaks to his players collectively after their return from international duty on Thursday.
Merseyside Police has confirmed it will have “an appropriate policing operation in place” for the fixture after receiving queries about the match.
Liverpool, however, is treating the game as “business as usual”, with no additional measures planned. A club source said supporters had “the right to express their feelings” but hoped they would not cross the line.
