The Premier League are leading the charge for Manchester City’s punishment to be announced before the verdict of their appeal, a new report has surprisingly claimed.

City, lest anyone forget, were found guilty by an independent commission of breaking more than 100 Premier League regulations, including all those relating to inaccurate reporting of their finances. As England’s top flight emphatically put it, City’s success between 2009 and 2018 was built upon “sham contracts,” “sham agreements” and “sham commercial deals.”

These charges were first leveled at City in February 2023 and the modern Premier League giants have forcefully pleaded their innocence throughout the process. Even in the wake of this official verdict—which the club described as an “opinion” thanks to a “Premier League conspiracy theory”—City are continuing to fight for their reputation.

An appeal has been lodged based upon the heavily cited “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence.” A large array of Abu Dhabi government documents is thought to be the basis of this argument, which claims that the “artificially inflated” revenue streams were swollen by funding from the state, rather than City’s owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (who also happens to be vice president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, which counts Abu Dhabi as its capital).

More Man City Fallout

This process is ongoing. Under new Premier League rules, a three-person panel has to hear the argument within 12 weeks of the appeal being lodged, which, in this case, falls on Christmas Eve. A verdict then has be made inside the next 30 days, giving the case until the third week of January. City could even argue that no deadline should be employed as these regulations were only brought in after the offending period.

In the face of these delays, and the current legal limbo gripping the division, the Premier League are “pressing” for the commission to publicly unveil the scale of City’s punishment before an appeal has even been decided, per the Daily Mail.

It would not be unprecedented for a punishment to be dished out before an appeal has been finalized. Everton were initially docked 10 points in November 2023 (for one uncontested breach) which was later reduced to six points the following February. It is expected that City will face a far sterner punishment.

Man City’s ‘Most Likely’ Punishment

The same Mail report claims that City’s “most likely” punishment is a “swingeing” points deduction severe enough to practically guarantee relegation. According to Opta’s supercomputer, that would take around 60 points given the caliber of the start made by Enzo Maresca’s side this season.

City’s punishment is not thought to end there. Once in England’s second tier, City would also be expected to receive another points penalty large enough to keep them adrift of promotion. It’s impossible to know how large that would have to be, and it would rely upon the English Football League accepting any Premier League interference in their own competition.

There are reportedly no relegation clauses in any City players’ contracts but the bulk of the star-studded roster would surely jump ship rather than face one, if not two, seasons in the Championship.

Beyond the sporting sanction, City are also in line for a “huge” fine, although that is hardly their biggest problem.