Premier League clubs back three sanctions as City's appeal lawyer warns of legal risks

Manchester City are facing a growing chorus of opinion over the consequences of their guilty verdict on 114 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules, with clubs understood to have agreed on three possible sanctions and a legal warning issued over the risks of a prolonged appeal process.

An independent panel found City guilty last week, concluding that the club used ‘sham’ sponsorship deals to artificially inflate their revenue by almost £900 million between 2009 and 2018. City have strongly denied the charges and lodged a formal appeal against the verdict.

Discussion among clubs and legal observers has focused on what punishment might follow if the appeal fails. Possible sanctions range from a substantial fine to significant points deductions or, in the most severe scenario, expulsion from the Premier League. Premier League clubs are reported to have reached broad agreement on three specific forms of punishment, though the precise details of that alignment have not been publicly confirmed.

One investor with stakes in multiple clubs, speaking anonymously to The Athletic, proposed an alternative path: a negotiated monetary settlement between City and the Premier League. “Let’s say they should put a billion pounds into a pot,” the investor said. “Then the Premier League would need to come up with a formula so that the teams who endured the most direct damage receive a greater proportion of the money, which would possibly make those teams whole, or at least be a number they could live with and move on. That way, the Premier League helps to prevent a waterfall of club-on-club lawsuits.”

City manager Enzo Maresca addressed the situation publicly for the first time on Thursday, striking a composed tone. “Personally, I’m very calm to be honest,” Maresca said. “The club has been quite clear. We trust completely the club. We understand the noise but the focus for us is just what we can control and we can control just the football side.”

Maresca added that his players remain undistracted, pointing to City’s position at the top of the Premier League table as their primary motivation. “The players are excited because in this moment we are top of the league. They know what we can control is the football side — they are not worried at all about different things.”

Several other Premier League managers have been asked about the verdict in their own press conferences, with their responses reflecting the widespread attention the case has attracted across the division.

City return to league action on Sunday when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool.