Man City to be hit with 'swift and excessive' punishments in bombshell verdict
Manchester City are set for more trouble with clubs pushing for a "swift and excessive" punishment, sources have told Football Insider.
This comes following the Premier League's damning statement which revelaed Man City have been found guilty of all charges against them for breaching financial rules.
The severity and prolonged period over which the offences took place has raised major concerns, with club chiefs now pushing for a decision to be made regarding their sanctions.
As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider's Transfer Insider podcast, there are growing demands for Man City's punishment to be harsh given the nature of their rule breaches.
Reports elsewhere have suggested that Premier League rivals are demanding a punishment is handed out quickly, after waiting years for a verdict to arrive.
A number of potential options are set to be discussed behind the scenes, including but not limited to points deductions, relegation, stripping their trophies, and transfer bans.
Which punishments could Man City face?
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider on 28 September that the Premier League are ready to hit Man City with three major punishments.
The Premier League will throw the book at City, who could be relegated them to League Two, slapped with a significant points deduction, and handed a massive fine.
While no decision has been made regarding their punishment as yet, and Man City still maintain their innocence, there are growing calls for a decision to be made.
Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: "It was seismic news last week when that news initially broke that Man City have been found guilty of all charges.
"We're obviously still waiting to see what punishment they will face, and that is the big question for the Premier League, what will it be?
"Will it be a fine? Will it be a points deduction? Will it be expulsion from the Premier League? Everything's on the table at the moment and we wait to see what will happen.
"Obviously the Man City Chief Executive Ferran Soriano suggested that the case will run for a long time, with City maintaining their innocence and trying to push the blame back on the Premier League.
"For the integrity of the league, if the guilty verdict is upheld after the appeal process, clubs are pushing for those sanctions need to be swift and excessive.
"Still, as it stands right now, City will appeal; they maintain their innocence and we'll wait for that appeal process to be exhausted and then after that we'll know if there's going to be any sanctions."
What is the likely outcome of an appeal?
Given Man City's continued push back against the Premier League's decision, they are widely expected to appeal the decision, with that expected within hours.
The club hierarchy are planning to continue protesting their innocence until the very end, and are not preparing for the event of them potentially being relegated.
However, former Everton CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider on 25 September that Man City's chances of winning their appeal are tenuous at best given the evidence against them.
It has taken three and a half years for a final verdict to be reached, but the cogs are now in motion, with the rest of the top-flight clubs already informed.
The outcome of Man City's appeal should be heard in the next three months, but it is considered highly unlikely that they will see the decision overturned.