Senior figures within football believe City’s punishment for breaches of Premier League financial rules should be determined before the end of this season, according to BBC Sport.
Man City have until Friday 2 October to exercise their right to appeal against the independent commission’s findings and continue to deny wrongdoing. No sanction has yet been imposed.
The eventual punishment will be determined separately, but there is a desire within the game to avoid the uncertainty continuing into another Premier League campaign.
Man City case expected to move quickly
The Premier League said when publishing the commission’s findings that it wanted the remaining proceedings to be “concluded as soon as possible”.
An unnamed club official told BBC Sport: “It benefits everyone for this to be resolved as quickly as possible.”
Asked whether completing the process this season was realistic, the official added: “Instinctively yes, but it has to be done right. We can all see what the risks are if it’s not. But those risks have been there throughout the process, as they’ve won the league multiple times during it.”
City have consistently rejected the allegations against them and have made clear their intention to challenge the commission’s findings.
Our earlier report on the sanctions hearing examined how the case moves towards the punishment stage, while we have also looked at the range of sanctions potentially available.
Under the Premier League’s expedited rules, an appeal hearing should conclude within 12 weeks of the first appeal being submitted. The Appeal Board should then provide its decision and written reasons within 30 days of the hearing concluding.
There is no route to the Court of Arbitration for Sport under Premier League rules. BBC Sport reports that a High Court challenge could potentially remain available on limited grounds relating to the fairness of the process, although no such challenge has been launched.
The significant development now concerns the timetable. With an appeal still to be dealt with and the sanction determined separately, there are further stages to come, but senior figures within football believe the case should be resolved before the 2026-27 season is over.
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