Man City FFP: PL rivals’ ‘consensus’ on right punishment revealed as ‘not sufficient’ sanction identified
According to reports, rival Premier League clubs ‘do not expect’ Manchester City to avoid relegation if the guilty FFP verdict remains.
Last week, it was confirmed that Man City have been found guilty on 114 of their 115 charges after being accused of breaching the Premier League’s FFP rules between 2009 and 2018.
The Premier League referred the club to an independent comission after a four-year probe into their conduct during this period, and the case has gone badly against them after a six-week hearing at the end of 2024.
Enzo Maresca‘s side have since submitted an appeal, though it has been widely reported that this is unlikely to be successful.
If the appeal fails, Man City’s potential punishments include a fine, transfer ban, points deduction, expulsion and/or being stripped of their Premier League titles.
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There are also potential knock-on effects that include Man City being sued by Premier League rivals and a mass player exodus, though the same three-person panel which came to the guilty verdict will decide on the punishment if an appeal fails.
Premier League rivals’ stance on Man City’s punishments revealed
Still, a report from journalist Kaveh Solhekol for Sky Sports has shed light on how Premier League clubs want Man City to be punished, with it said that they ‘do not expect Man City to be in the Premier League next season’ if the current verdict stands.
It is also claimed that the current ‘consensus’ is that clubs feel that it would ‘not be sufficient’ if a punishment only lasts for a single season.
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The report explains:
‘It is only natural for clubs to think of their own self-interest and City’s relegation would mean one fewer club going down this season as well as removing one of the favourites from the title race and opening up another European place. Self-interest is not the over-riding consideration though.
‘The consensus appears to be that rules have to be respected by all clubs, no matter their size or status – and it would not be sufficient to hand City a punishment that would last only one season for rules which were broken across multiple seasons.’
And Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has agreed with the Premier League clubs, with the pundit arguing that Man City’s punishment needs to last for “years and years”.
Carragher said: “Now that we know that they’re guilty, yes, there’s an appeal, but now that they’ve got a big guilty verdict initially, now I don’t think anybody wants to wait.
“It has to be done this season, because Man City need to be affected for next season.
“I know the word at the moment is sham; it’ll almost make the Premier League of this season, the title to be won would be a sham, if Man City went on to win that league with what we know has gone on.
“So it has to be done this season, and I think the punishment, whatever it should be, I don’t think it can be a one-off punishment for one season, because this has gone on for years and years, so I think the punishment should go on for years and years.”
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