Manchester City Appeal Guilty Verdict as Rivals Call for Strong Punishment

The fallout from the guilty verdict in the Manchester City case keeps growing. An independent commission found City guilty of the vast majority of the one hundred and fifteen charges over financial rule breaches across nine seasons, from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The charges included using what the league called sham commercial contracts to inflate revenue and understate costs by more than nine hundred million pounds.

City lodged their appeal on the first of October and insist they are innocent, calling the verdict riddled with errors of law, principle, and fact. Nothing is decided yet — the reported positions around the league are not decisions, and the appeal has to play out first before any punishment is settled.

The reaction around English football has been fierce. Gary Lineker spoke at a sports industry conference this week and said City should just own it — “for the good of the game, we'll accept it, we'll accept whatever punishment comes our way.” He added he would not be surprised if they were ultimately stripped of titles.

There are also reports, via Duncan Castles, that there is strong support among clubs for the nuclear option — expulsion from the Premier League, with the EFL shutting the door below, and even the removal of the Abu Dhabi ownership. The word from around the league is that “the punishment should fit the crime,” with rival clubs making their feelings known while City maintain their position.

On the pitch, meanwhile, City are still top of the Premier League and still winning. Arsenal are right with them on level points, and Brighton sit third. Liverpool are sixth, a few points off the pace. Down at the bottom, Coventry are still stuck in the drop zone, Hull have two wins and two draws from five, and Tottenham are twentieth with two points from five games, facing a trip to Old Trafford on Saturday, where Manchester United host them at half past twelve.

That sets up Sunday's fixture. Liverpool — the club that came so close, so many times, competing against a side now found to have played by different rules — get the first crack at City since the verdict. It is City's first league fixture after the international break, and all eyes will be on it.

From the October 8 episode of The Football Briefing Room.