Rival clubs want lasting punishment for Manchester City
A number of Premier League clubs want Manchester City to face punishment for the past and limits on the future if the club's appeal fails.
Sources told BBC Sport that rival boardrooms want sanctions that provide reparations for the rule-breach period while also restricting what City can do next. City have appealed against the verdict. That appeal will decide what happens next.
An independent commission found City guilty of all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. The case centred on 114 alleged breaches, with possible sanctions ranging from fines and a points deduction to relegation, according to Reuters.
At least four Premier League boardrooms believe a one-off points deduction that sends City down to the Championship would not be enough on its own. The concern is simple. Relegation for one season hurts, but a rich and well-run squad can bounce straight back.
That has pushed the debate towards longer punishments. A number of league figures believe any points deduction should be split over multiple seasons. Others support transfer bans stretching over several windows, which means the club would be blocked from signing players for a set period. The aim would be to slow any immediate return to the top flight.
One club source told BBC Sport it would be "bizarre, almost obtuse" if City were free to trade in the January transfer window while the legal process is still running and no sanction has been applied.
The strongest views concern trophies. One senior club source said City should be stripped of titles, with the honours left vacant rather than handed to runners-up. The same source warned the Premier League would lose credibility if City kept the eight major trophies won during the period covered by the guilty verdict.
That is a shift in mood. BBC Sport had previously been told there was little appetite among other clubs for stripping titles.
Another idea discussed is a tariff-based system. Past league finishing positions would be changed through retrospective points deductions, and rival clubs would then receive compensation based on those revised places. Potential lawsuits from rivals are already expected to add to the legal fallout.
Some clubs say they feel "in the dark" about the league's timetable for the appeal and any sanctions hearing. Rival clubs will not take part in the sanctions hearing, and that hearing could run while the appeal process continues, according to Sky Sports. Some top-flight clubs do not expect City to be in the Premier League next season if the appeal fails.
On the pitch, City travel to Anfield for their first match since news of the verdict broke.
For fans, this means two contests running side by side. One is the football every weekend. The other is a legal fight that could reshape results, trophies and money from seasons long finished.
