Premier League Wants Man City Case Resolved Before Season Ends

The English Premier League wants to sort out Manchester City’s financial case quickly. Senior football figures told BBC Sport on Wednesday that they think this should be done before the season wraps up.

City was found guilty of all charges related to breaking the Premier League’s financial rules from the 2009-10 to the 2017-18 seasons.

The charges include claims that the club falsely inflated revenue by over £900 million through sponsorship deals.

Manchester City has always denied these claims and is likely to appeal the guilty ruling.

The case has already taken three years since City was first charged, raising worries that the final punishment could take even longer.

But some important people in football believe there is no reason why this case cannot be finished this season.

One club official told BBC Sport that sorting out the case quickly would be good for everyone. Another source said the process "should" wrap up by the end of the season and hoped any appeal would be dealt with quickly.

The final decision on Manchester City’s punishment is with an independent commission. Both the Premier League and Manchester City can share their thoughts on what the right punishment should be before the commission makes its decision.

There is rising pressure for this case to be finished before the season ends. Letting City play another season without a punishment could lead to uncertainty, especially if they are in the running for or win the Premier League title.

The Premier League rules say an appeal should usually be wrapped up within 12 weeks of being filed. A decision is expected within 30 days after the appeal ends.

But it is still unclear if these rules will directly apply to City’s case.

Manchester City’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano, has suggested that this process could go on for a long time.

City cannot appeal again to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. But they might challenge the process at the High Court on the grounds of fairness.

The Premier League said it wants the case to be "concluded as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, City’s main sponsor, Etihad Airways, has denied any claims that it was involved in wrong commercial deals. The airline said it is looking into legal advice about how the findings were shared.

Etihad said it had not been given a chance to take part in the process and was worried that the Premier League’s public comments had harmful effects on the company.

The Premier League chose not to comment on Etihad’s statement.