Premier League clubs split on expelling Man City as 200-point deduction also discussed

Manchester City’s Premier League rivals are reportedly split on whether the club should be expelled from the top flight after an independent commission found them guilty of 114 of 115 charges relating to breaches of financial rules. City have strongly denied the charges and lodged an appeal against the verdict.

For expulsion to be enacted, 15 of the 20 Premier League clubs would need to vote in favour — a threshold that is far from guaranteed. According to The Telegraph, executives at two top clubs have described the move as “commercial suicide”, with some clubs arguing the Premier League’s global standing would be significantly undermined without City’s presence.

A further concern among certain clubs is that expelling City could trigger a revival of the European Super League. City were among the founding clubs to join the ESL in 2021 but were the first to withdraw following widespread fan backlash, with others quickly following.

Despite those reservations, senior figures at other clubs are reportedly pushing for the harshest possible outcome — not only expulsion from the Premier League but a ban from entering the EFL as well. A separate proposal under discussion involves a points deduction of up to 200, spread across multiple seasons.

Expulsion is one of several sanctions the independent commission could consider. Transfer bans, points deductions, and financial penalties are also on the table.

At the heart of the case are accusations that City artificially inflated their revenue by more than £900 million through what the Premier League describes as “sham” sponsorship arrangements. City’s appeal will be examined by a fresh independent panel of three, selected by the Premier League’s judicial panel, to determine definitively whether any misconduct occurred.

The club insists it holds “irrefutable evidence” that the sponsorship deals in question were genuine and funded by the Abu Dhabi government rather than by the club’s owners, Abu Dhabi United Group. The Premier League does permit state-owned entities to sponsor clubs, a provision that could prove central to City’s defence.

However, that argument faces a significant obstacle. During a 2015 investigation by the United States Department of Commerce, Transportation, and State into state-owned airlines, title sponsors Etihad — the state-owned airline of the United Arab Emirates — stated that reports of government funding for sponsorships were “false”.