Rival clubs call for retroactive penalties and multi-season sanctions for Man City
October 6, 2026 18:30
A group of Premier League clubs want Manchester City to face both retrospective punishments and sanctions that limit the club in future after an independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009–10 and 2017–18 seasons. City’s CEO Ferran Soriano and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak have continued to insist the club are innocent despite the guilty verdicts.
KEY CONTEXT
Sources told BBC Sport there is a consensus among some top-flight executives that any punishment should both make reparations for the period in which rules were broken and curb City’s powers going forward. At least four Premier League boardrooms believe a single-season points deduction that resulted in relegation — a so-called "one-hit" penalty — would be insufficient.
Clubs discussed a range of measures. Suggestions cited by sources include stripping titles (with some arguing trophies should be removed and left vacant rather than immediately redistributed), splitting points deductions across multiple seasons, multi-window transfer bans and a "tariff-based system" that would alter past finishing positions and compensate rival clubs based on where they would have finished.
Opinions are not uniform; BBC Sport was previously told there is also little appetite among some clubs for stripping titles. One club source described it as "bizarre, almost obtuse" if City were allowed to trade in the January transfer window while the process was ongoing and sanctions had not been applied. Other club sources said they felt "in the dark" about the chronology and timescales of the appeal and sanctions hearing but expressed "empathy" and "understanding" for the Premier League’s difficult position given the legal process.
IMMEDIATE DEVELOPMENTS
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca is due to speak to the squad collectively after players return from international duty on Thursday ahead of their Premier League trip to Liverpool on Sunday (16:30 BST). That match at Anfield will be the club’s first game since news of the verdict broke. Merseyside Police has received queries in relation to the game and said it will have "an appropriate policing operation in place on the day." Sources at Liverpool described preparations as "business as usual," and said conversations between the club, supporters and authorities continue as they do before every home game. One source added that while supporters "have the right to express their feelings" they hoped fans would not overstep the mark.