Man City get new punishment verdict as three factors for guilty ruling appeal made clear

Two legal experts have shared their thoughts on the next steps for Manchester City regarding their expected appeal and potential punishments. Earlier today, it emerged that the club had been found in breach of 114 Premier League financial regulations.

City were initially charged in February 2023 with this outcome from their hearing against the Premier League just under two years ago. And there is expected to be further delays to any final solution with it understood that City will be appealing against the guilty verdict.

Sports barrister at Church Court Chambers Yasin Patel has now offered his thoughts on the appeal while also making it clear that some clubs could take action.

He said: "City's lawyers will now analyse this decision and look at the options open to them to appeal, which may include procedural impropriety, wrongful interpretation of law, and legal errors - importantly, they can guarantee an appeal.

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"Sanctions could include a major fine, points deduction, relegation or even all three. Factoring in whether titles and trophies should be stripped, whether other clubs have been robbed of further revenue and opportunities due to City's wrongdoings and losses incurred, we safely say that this is only the first chapter of a long-running legal saga that will not end any time soon."

Ian Hargreaves, a partner at specialist disputes firm Quillon Law, has also discussed City's next moves following the latest development.

Hargreaves said: "The rumoured verdict is not the end of the story but the beginning of a new phase in what has become one of the most closely watched legal battles in global sport.

"The key questions this news raises are what sanction the panel considers proportionate and what guidance can be drawn from previous cases. There is a wide range of options, with a transfer ban at the more moderate end of the spectrum and expulsion from the league the most severe repercussion.

"There is also the question of whether the panel's decision can withstand a hard-fought appeal, and on what grounds any challenge might be brought. Much will depend on the detail of the panel's findings and reasoning, which will inevitably be closely scrutinised by both sides."

"The outcome will also have wider implications for the balance of power in European football, although Premier League clubs will point out that these findings relate to historic conduct and not the league's current financial framework."

A City statement read: “The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements to be completed, and subject to strict confidentiality. As such Manchester City FC’s position remains consistent with the club’s statement of February 2023.

“The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis the Premier League board and executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair minded regulator, free from partisan influence.”

Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are the sides to have been denied Premier League titles during the period in which City are judged to have secured an unfair advantage.

City are not back in action for another two weeks, with the extended international break stretching into October, and their first opponents upon return are Liverpool — arguably the club who have been denied the most silverware by City over the past decade.