English clubs push for retroactive and future penalties for Man City

Several Premier League clubs want Manchester City hit with both retrospective punishments and future sanctions if their appeal fails, according to BBC Sport. The push follows an independent commission finding City guilty of all charges over breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

Penalties if the appeal loses

Inside the top-flight boardrooms there’s said to be a common view that any sanctions should not only provide reparation for the period when the rules were broken, but also limit their powers in the future. At least four clubs also feel a “one-hit” points deduction strong enough to send City down to the Championship would be insufficient for the scale of the wrongdoing.

Opinions vary on what a “fitting” punishment looks like for the eight-time champions. One senior club source told BBC Sport City should be stripped of their titles, adding there’s “no great rush” among clubs to redistribute trophies and that honours should instead be left vacant. The same source warned the Premier League’s credibility would suffer if the eight major trophies won during the period ruled on by the commission were allowed to stand.

Split points and transfer-ban concerns

There’s also concern about timing: a sanction applied to just one season would be a “bump in the road” given the likelihood of a quick return to the Premier League. As a result, some figures believe any points deduction should be spread across multiple seasons, and that transfer bans stretching over more than one window would better hinder a rapid comeback. One club source also called it “bizarre, almost obtuse” if City were able to trade in the upcoming January window while sanctions have not yet been applied.

Away from the court process, BBC Sport reports Enzo Maresca will speak to the squad collectively when players return from international duty on Thursday ahead of Sunday’s Premier League match against Liverpool at Anfield (16:30 BST), their first game since the verdict broke. Merseyside Police said it will stage an appropriate policing operation, while Liverpool sources say it is “business as usual” for a home match.