Financial Times reports Man City sanctions expected next year as appeal set for mid-December

What happened

Manchester City are expected to face Premier League sanctions next year, with their appeal against the verdict in their 114-charge case set to begin in mid-December, according to a Financial Times report cited by Football365.

Report details

An independent commission found City guilty of breaching 114 Premier League rules last month, the report said. The panel found the club used "sham" sponsorship deals to boost earnings by around £900m between 2009 and 2018. City have appealed the verdict, maintaining their innocence and saying they have "irrefutable evidence" in the form of documents showing the sponsorship funds came from the Abu Dhabi government rather than their owners.

The FT reported that the appeal is "set to go ahead in mid-December, according to people with knowledge of the situation" and will "run for a number of days." The verdict is expected to be handed down by the newly formed independent commission "in the new year," with a decision on sanctions to follow, according to those people. The report said the timing of proceedings had been closely guarded, with some previously suggesting sanctions could be announced before the appeal concluded.

Possible punishments if the appeal fails include fines, transfer bans, points deductions, Premier League expulsion and titles being stripped, while the owners could also be removed by the Independent Football Regulator, according to the report. It said it is unclear when any sanctions would take effect and that punishments are also open to appeal, meaning uncertainty over the league could stretch beyond the current season ending in May and possibly for years, legal experts warned.

The initial three-person commission that found City guilty will ultimately decide the punishment, but the Premier League board, made up of five individuals, is responsible for recommending a sanction. The board comprises the league's chair, chief executive and three independent non-executive directors, with no club representatives included to provide independence and neutrality. The report noted that chair Alison Brittain has described herself as a "lifelong Manchester United fan" who stood in the Stretford End as a child because of her family's allegiance, a detail the report said City may question regarding prejudice.