The relegation of Manchester City to the Championship for a single season would not be a sufficient sanction in the eyes of several of its competitors. According to The Guardianleaders of several Premier League clubs want a punishment that could keep the Citizens out of the elite for a longer period, after their conviction for more than 100 breaches of financial rules. “ Relegation to the Championship for one season would be insufficient », Confided a source from a club to the British daily, demanding a sanction proportionate to the scale and duration of the facts retained by the independent commission. The clubs will, however, have no direct role in the final decision.
Manchester City have appealed and continue to claim to be “ innocent of charges » of the Premier League. The commission has a wide range of sanctions, ranging from a withdrawal of points to a ban on recruitment, or even exclusion from the championship. Several big names are also following the case very closely: Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool had reserved their right to take City to court in the event of an unfavorable verdict and have already started to discuss this possibility. According to the planned timetable, the appeal procedure should be concluded by the end of January.
