Man City FFP: Sanctions timeline revealed as rival club chiefs insist ‘relegation insufficient’ | OneFootball

Manchester City could be sanctioned by the Premier League as soon as this coming January as a report details the possible timeline of the appeals and sanctions hearings, while rival club chiefs insist “relegation is  insufficient”.

The Premier League has now confirmed that an independent panel has found City guilty on all charges related to breaches of their financial regulations over a nine-year period.

It was found that City had arranged “sham” contracts with commercial partners to inflate revenues and reduce costs to the tune of over £900m.

City maintain their innocence and are expected to appeal the ruling as we wait to learn the Premier League punishment and just how much they will have to pay their rivals in damages.

Etihad Airways have piled further pressure on the Premier League, threatening legal action over the ‘damaging implications’ of the commission’s findings, while making a telling blunder in their 307-word statement.

New Premier League rules introduced this season state that the appeal – assuming City take that action by the Friday deadline – must be concluded within 12 weeks before the panel are given 30 days to deliver a judgement, meaning a decision should be reached by January.

The Guardian also report that the sanctions hearing could take place concurrently, with both outcomes revealed following the end of the appeal process.

City could then appeal against the sanctions and could look to delay the punishment coming into action further by arming that the Premier League’s new timescales for these processes were only introduced this season, long after the charges were brought against them.

The Premier League’s board of directors, including chief executive Richard Masters, will petition for its preferred punishment at the sanctions hearing, while City will also plead their case, before a decision is reached.

In the successful prosecution of Everton three years ago for a £19.5m overspend, the Premier League pushed for the club to be docked 12 points, with the independent commission ultimately deciding on 10 points, reduced to six on appeal.

But The Guardian report that executives at a number of Premier League clubs want a far more severe punishment for City given the scale of their cheating.

“Relegation to the Championship for one season would be insufficient,” a club source told the newspaper. “The commission has to arrive at a punishment that is proportionate for years of sustained and deliberate cheating, as well as providing a strong deterrent to it happening again.”