Premier League executives exchange messages over expelling Manchester City after guilty verdict

Premier League executives have already exchanged private messages debating whether Manchester City should be suspended from the top flight with immediate effect, following the club’s guilty verdict on financial regulation breaches, according to a report from The Independent.

One senior figure from a top-flight club described the current situation — in which City continue to play and lead the Premier League while sanctions remain pending — as ‘farcical’ and warned it could turn ‘violent’ in terms of the atmosphere surrounding the club.

Under Rule 6B of the Premier League rulebook, 15 member clubs can vote to expel a fellow member. However, the report suggests such a motion has little realistic chance of passing, given conflicting interests among club owners — including existing business relationships with Abu Dhabi — and the legal risk that City could challenge any expulsion in the High Court and win reinstatement.

City themselves showed little sign of distraction on the pitch on Sunday, beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield in a charged atmosphere. Goals from Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, and Rayan Cherki sealed the result against a 10-man Reds side, with sections of the home support audibly branding their opponents ‘cheats’ throughout.

Manager Enzo Maresca framed the result as a collective statement of unity. “Ferran [Soriano] was there, Hugo [Viana] was there. We were all together,” he said. “For the importance of the game, Liverpool away, I think it’s a good idea for the club to be all together. It’s togetherness that in this moment we need.”

Maresca acknowledged the pressure his players had faced in the weeks since the verdict. “It was not easy for the players after the past two or three weeks but I think they handled the situation very well,” he said. “We need to learn how to deal with the outside noise. Because of the situation, the noise will always be there — so we need to learn how to deal with it. At the same time, we need to try to make our noise by winning games like we did today.”

The outcome of any formal sanctions against City remains subject to an appeal, meaning the club’s long-term status in the Premier League is still unresolved. The tension between competitive integrity concerns and the legal and commercial complexities of expulsion looks set to define the coming weeks of debate among the league’s member clubs.