By Adegboyega Adeleye Rival Premier League clubs are calling for Manchester City to face a range of punishments, including title stripping and transfer bans, if the club’s appeal against its financial breaches verdict fails, according to the BBC. An independent commission found Manchester City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. City have appealed against the verdict.
However, sources told BBC Sport that a number of Premier League clubs want any eventual sanctions to cover both the period in which the breaches occurred and City’s future participation in the competition. There is also a feeling in at least four Premier League boardrooms that a single points deduction resulting in relegation to the Championship would not be sufficient punishment given the scale of the findings.
One senior club source said City should be stripped of the titles they won during the period covered by the verdict. The source added that there was “no great rush” among clubs to redistribute the trophies, but rather to take the honours away and leave them vacant.
The source warned that the credibility of the Premier League would be undermined if City were allowed to retain the eight major trophies they won during the period in which they were found guilty of the breaches. However, BBC Sport said it had previously been told there was little appetite among some other clubs for City to be stripped of their titles, highlighting the differing views across the league.
On future sanctions, some Premier League figures believe a points deduction imposed in only one season would amount to a “bump in the road” for City, given the likelihood of the club returning to the top flight at the first opportunity. As a result, some clubs believe any