They are the five individuals at the Premier League set to play a key role in the fate of Manchester City.

The competition's board has the responsibility of recommending a punishment after the seismic news in September of the club being found guilty of breaching financial rules by an independent commission.

While that three-person commission panel will ultimately decide on a sanction, the Premier League's submission will be considered, along with the view of City of course, who maintain their innocence and have appealed.

It is not known when a sanction hearing will take place, nor what sanction the Premier League will want, with a fine, points deduction, expulsion or the stripping of past titles all possible.

But who makes up the Premier League's board, and how have their recommendations over punishments been received in past disciplinary cases?

BBC Sport has taken a close look.

Among various roles and responsibilities, the board is the entity responsible for prosecuting breaches of Premier League rules.

It comprises the league's chair, chief executive, and three independent non-executive directors, with no club representatives included - in order to provide independence and neutrality.

The chair

Described as "sensible" by one acquaintance, in September she spoke at a university alumni event, revealing that she was initially sceptical about joining the Premier League because she had never worked in sport.

Two senior club executives - the former Arsenal CEO Vinai Venkatesham (now at Spurs), and ex-Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow - told her that her skillset was what the league needed, helping to persuade her to apply.

She said: "They actually spent some time talking to me and saying 'we aren't looking for a super fan. In fact we're looking for the exact opposite - somebody who will bring a different mindset. A business mindset, governance standards, be able to reset us a little bit into a different way'…and so I then went through the process and ended up in the job."

Describing herself as a "lifelong Manchester United fan [who] stood in the Stretford End before it had seats, as a kid" because of her family's allegiance, Brittain is now also a Brentford supporter. In 2025, she received unanimous backing from the 20 clubs to continue for a second three-year stint.

Speaking in 2024, Brittain acknowledged the league was "not without its challenges". But she has hailed what she describes as "the most exciting competition in the world", and its global appeal, calling it an "enormous soft power asset" for the country.

She also recently said that "the whole point of running the league... is to make sure the competitive balance stays really good. Because what makes us successful is this virtuous circle of anyone could win any match any day… there has to be jeopardy."

She added: "Someone has to care about keeping that balance, because if you ask the clubs they'd rather not have that balance because they'd like to win all the time."

When asked if that was her job, she replied: "Absolutely. That's my job."

According to Purslow, Brittain has "extremely good people skills and diplomacy in a role where keeping 20 owners more or less happy is not an easy job. She is a very down to earth, straightforward person, and that plays well."

The CEO

When the independent commission's 'core decision' on City was announced in September, he said it "vindicates the Premier League's decision to pursue this case", and that the league has "a key responsibility… to ensure that the rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition".

He added that it was "paramount that the league remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously."

Masters said: "There are elements of the case that remain to be decided, including, importantly, what sanction must follow for these breaches. Now we have the commission's decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the league, our clubs and fans."

Reportedly having grown up an Aston Villa fan, in 2024 Masters assured a parliamentary committee that "the Premier League board applies the rules consistently, irrespective of the club in question".

The 'non-execs'

BBC Sport has approached the board members via the Premier League, but it declined to comment.

Previous cases

The Manchester City case is unique in its scale, and so it is uncertain how relevant previous cases are when looking at the kind of sanctions the Premier League has recommended. But it is clear that independent commissions do not necessarily agree with the Premier League's board when it comes to clubs' potential punishments.

In 2023, the league argued for a 12-point sanction for Everton after the club breached financial rules, with a commission then settling on a 10-point punishment instead, which was reduced to six points on appeal.

In 2024, the Premier League suggested that Nottingham Forest should be docked eight points over a larger PSR overspend, but the commission again disagreed, settling on a four-point punishment.

This year the Premier League argued that an appropriate sanction for Leicester City - for an overspend in 2023-24 - was a 12-point deduction to be applied in the Championship. The independent commission instead recommended that a six-point deduction be imposed by the EFL.

There is also an alternative to contested proceedings.

Earlier this year the Premier League board reached a 'sanctions agreement' with Chelsea which resulted in a £10m fine and suspended transfer ban after admitting making £47m in secret payments to unregistered agents and third parties over transfers between 2011 and 2018.

The league said: "When considering the appropriate sanction, the board noted that the club's proactive self-reporting, admissions of breach and exceptional co-operation throughout the investigation acted as significant mitigating factors."