Man City FFP: President claims PL ‘authority will be lost’ unless Citizens receive ‘sanction it deserves’

Man City “should receive the sanction it deserves” or the Premier League’s “authority will be lost”, according to La Liga president Javier Tebas.

The Citizens’ lawyers arrived at London’s International Dispute Resolution Centre (IDRC) on Monday as a hearing to examine 115 Premier League charges issued against the club began.

Lord Pannick KC from Blackstone Chambers, who is leading Man City’s legal team, was pictured arriving at the IDRC, close to St Paul’s Cathedral in central London.

The hearing is reported to have been scheduled for 10 weeks, with the independent commission’s verdict not expected until the new year.

The charges facing Man City , who won a fourth straight Premier League title in May, date back as far as the 2009-10 season.

It is thought the club, who are also accused of failing to co-operate with an investigation, could face a range of punishments including a severe points penalty or even expulsion from the Premier League if found guilty.

Man City were charged by the league in February 2023 after a long investigation into allegations published by German magazine Der Spiegel in autumn 2018.

The club deny any wrongdoing and have previously said they have a “comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence” to support their stance.

And now La Liga president Tebas insists that the Premier League “have to act” and Man City “should receive the sanction it deserves” if found guilty.

Tebas told GiveMeSport : “The Premier League shouldn’t give in to pressure, right? Manchester City is just another club, and when you lead an association, you have to act.

“The Premier League shouldn’t differentiate between big or small, or important and ‘non-important’, clubs. Manchester City is a member of the association that has committed irregularities and should receive the sanction it deserves. If not, the competition’s authority will be lost.”

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Tebas added: “There are more than 115 accusations. I don’t know everything, but I know what happened regarding Manchester City’s UEFA case, and quite well. Let’s not forget UEFA sanctioned City by not allowing them to compete in the Champions League.

“Then CAS, in a very controversial decision, acquitted them instead of accusing them. I would say that was one of the biggest failures in the history of CAS on a legal issue. It was demonstrated [by UEFA] that they should have been sanctioned and some of those charges are now being pursued by the Premier League.

“I can tell you that everyone knows how City has acted in recent years. I hope it’s just a matter of evidence, and that the Premier League know how to prove it well, because the facts are clear. I have spoken with many Premier League clubs and most understand City should be sanctioned.”