Premier League clubs demand retrospective and future sanctions for Manchester City

Several Premier League clubs want Manchester City to be punished both for the past and in the future after an independent commission ruled that the club committed widespread breaches of the competition's financial regulations. The growing stance among top-flight executives is that any sanction must make amends for the years in which the rules were broken, while also curbing City's ability to dominate again once the process is complete.

• Premier League clubs are pushing for retrospective and future sanctions against Manchester City.
• An independent commission found City guilty of all financial rule breaches from 2009-10 to 2017-18.
• At least four clubs believe a single points deduction resulting in relegation would be insufficient.
• Ideas include stripping titles, spreading points deductions over several seasons and imposing transfer bans.
• City visit Anfield on Sunday for their first match since the verdict was revealed.

What rival clubs want for Manchester City's punishment

There is a growing consensus among Premier League executives that if Manchester City's appeal fails, the sanctions should serve two purposes. First, they should compensate for the period in which financial rules were breached. Second, they should limit the club's powers going forward. The seriousness of the wrongdoing, according to those involved in the discussions, demands a response that goes well beyond a single corrective measure.

Why a one-off points deduction is seen as insufficient

At least four Premier League boardrooms believe that a one-hit points deduction leading to relegation to the Championship would not be an adequate punishment. The reasoning is straightforward: a club with the financial and sporting muscle of the eight-time Premier League champions would likely bounce straight back. That would turn the sanction into little more than a bump in the road rather than a genuine reckoning.

Multi-season point deductions and transfer bans on the table

To prevent a rapid return to the top flight, a number of Premier League figures believe any points deduction should be split across multiple seasons. Transfer bans lasting several windows are also seen as a way to significantly hinder City's ability to rebuild and regain their top-flight status as quickly as possible.

Along the same lines, one club source described it as "bizarre, almost obtuse" if City were allowed to trade in the upcoming January transfer window while the process remains ongoing and sanctions have not yet been applied. The prospect of the club strengthening its squad before the final scope of any punishment is known has caused unease in several boardrooms.

Stripping titles and compensating rival clubs

One of the most sensitive debates concerns trophies. A senior source at a Premier League club was unambiguous: City should be stripped of the titles won during the years in which the breaches occurred. The proposal is not to redistribute the honours among other teams, but to take them away and leave them vacant. According to this view, the Premier League's credibility would be lost if the club were allowed to keep the eight major trophies it lifted during that period.

However, opinion is far from unanimous. It had previously emerged that other clubs had little appetite for stripping City of their titles. The range of views across the league is broad, which makes it difficult to predict what the league will ultimately decide if the appeal is unsuccessful.

A tariff-based system to compensate clubs that finished lower

On financial reparations, one idea that has been floated and that a club source found merit in is a tariff-based system. Under this approach, City's past league finishing positions would be altered through a points deduction. Rival clubs could then be paid compensation by City based on where they would have finished compared with where they actually ended up in the original standings.

City's first game since the verdict: Anfield and an 'appropriate' police operation

Manchester City play at Anfield on Sunday in their first match since news of the verdict broke. Manager Enzo Maresca is expected to address the squad collectively when players return from international duty on Thursday, ahead of the Premier League clash with Liverpool.

Merseyside Police has received queries about the fixture and said it will have an appropriate policing operation in place on the day. Liverpool sources insist it is business as usual, with no extra measures being introduced. Conversations and meetings between the club, supporters and the relevant authorities take place before every home game. One source said that while everyone has the right to express their feelings, they hoped supporters would not overstep the mark.

Frequently asked questions about Manchester City's punishment