LaLiga president urges Premier League to issue harshest possible punishment to Manchester City over 115 charges

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has demanded that Manchester City be handed the toughest penalty allowed under Premier League rules if the club is confirmed to have committed the financial breaches under investigation. His comments came after it emerged on Friday that City have been found guilty of most of the 115 charges brought against them.

• Tebas has called for the heaviest possible sanction against Manchester City over the alleged financial irregularities.
• The strictest penalty available is expulsion from the Premier League, requiring support from at least 15 of the 20 member clubs.
• He also wants CAS decisions that lifted UEFA's sanction against City in 2020 to be re-examined.
• Mauricio Pochettino says the league went through a period of deception if the breaches are confirmed.

What is the toughest punishment Manchester City could face?

The LaLiga president is clear about the scale of the sanction he believes is warranted. While acknowledging he does not know the exact details of English football's rulebook, he argues the case calls for the strictest measure set out in Premier League regulations. Expulsion is the most extreme option on the table, but carrying it out would require the backing of at least fifteen of the twenty clubs in a general meeting.

Tebas, who has long campaigned against what he describes as financial doping in European football, insists any sanction must address the non-compliance and, at the same time, send a clear warning to clubs across the continent.

Why Tebas is calling for the strictest Premier League punishment

I don't know the exact rules, but I believe it should be the strictest punishment in the Premier League regulations regarding this matter. It should be a punishment intended to set an example. And violating the rules for over ten years, no matter how minor the infractions, is a very serious matter.

The Spanish football chief made the comments while attending the Fifpro performance summit in London. His central argument is that this is not about a routine corrective measure but a response proportionate to more than a decade of alleged rule-breaking. For Tebas, the seriousness lies not in the size of any single violation but in how long the conduct lasted and the competitive advantage it may have created.

What is at stake for European football if City are guilty

Tebas believes a confirmed guilty verdict against Manchester City would reach far beyond English football. He frames the issue as a choice between pursuing a sustainable, clean model across all competitions or accepting that titles were lost to clubs who were not competing on equal terms.

What has happened is hugely significant and hopefully marks a turning point, not just for the Premier League but for European football as a whole, because the Manchester effect was felt right across Europe.

CAS ruling under scrutiny: Tebas wants 2020 decision reviewed

The LaLiga president is also targeting the Court of Arbitration for Sport decision that overturned UEFA's two-year ban on City in 2020. That ruling reduced a thirty million euro fine to ten million and found that UEFA's allegations were either not established or time-barred. Tebas argues the decision was handled in a highly questionable manner and that subsequent events have shown UEFA was right all along.

Pochettino and Hull owner react to Manchester City charges

Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has spoken of his sadness at the idea that the Premier League experienced a period of deception if the breaches are proven. The Argentine coach, who also managed Southampton, said the situation distorted sporting fairness and made it difficult to repair the damage caused to clubs that followed the rules.

Pochettino stressed that no penalty can turn back time. His reflection echoes the view of Hull City owner Acun Ilicali, who compared the alleged financial breaches to doping and winning an Olympic medal. Ilicali, the first Premier League owner to speak publicly on the matter, described the strategy of signing top players for huge sums outside the rules as a form of financial doping.

What happens next for Manchester City

The Premier League investigation has been running for years and its outcome could mobilise the majority of clubs in the division. If breaches are confirmed, possible expulsion would require broad consensus among the twenty teams, turning the decision into an internal governance matter with enormous public weight. Meanwhile, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak remains confident the club can prove its innocence through the appropriate channels.

Manchester City financial charges FAQ