LaLiga president Javier Tebas has called for the severest possible punishment to be imposed on Manchester City following an independent panel's findings that the club breached Premier League financial regulations on all but one of 115 alleged violations. Speaking at the Peak Performance & Health Summit in London, Tebas argued that a harsh penalty is essential not only to hold the club accountable but to serve as a cautionary message to every other organization operating within European football's competitive landscape.
The scope of Manchester City's alleged misconduct spans more than a decade, with non-compliance dating back to 2009—a duration that Tebas emphasized warrants particularly stringent consequences. "Breaking them for more than 10 years ... is very serious," Tebas stated to reporters. "The punishment should therefore be severe, not only to set an example, but because the rules were broken." Manchester City has consistently denied any wrongdoing, though potential sanctions range from financial penalties and points deductions to relegation. Tebas revealed he had previously raised concerns about the club's conduct dating back to 2017, when he voiced his apprehensions at Soccerex, noting that neither City nor the Premier League hierarchy received his warnings favorably at that time.
The LaLiga president framed the case as having ramifications that extend well beyond English football, with implications for the sport's financial integrity across all European competitions. "We're trying to make football sustainable and clean across all competitions," Tebas explained. "As many clubs are saying, titles were lost that shouldn't have been lost to other clubs." He further criticized the Court of Arbitration for Sport's earlier decisions, stating that CAS's 2020 reversal of UEFA's two-year Champions League ban on Manchester City—imposed after the club was found to have overstated sponsorship revenue between 2012 and 2016—was "very questionable" in light of these new findings. Tebas contended that the CAS decision should be reviewed, given that UEFA's original sanctions now appear justified.
Maheta Molango, chief executive of England's Professional Footballers' Association, echoed concerns about the prolonged nature of the investigation, highlighting how the extended timeline undermines confidence in football's regulatory framework. Molango emphasized that while rules must be established and enforced, consequences must be swift and certain: "If there's one lesson to be learned, it is that we need to have rules, those rules need to be abided by and there needs to be a consequence. But the consequence needs to be immediate." With Premier League clubs reportedly pursuing legal advice regarding potential compensation claims, the Manchester City case has become a defining moment for how European football polices financial compliance and maintains competitive integrity.