Manchester City's rivals across the Premier League are not expecting the club to be competing in England's top flight next season — and they believe a points deduction alone would fall well short of a sufficient punishment if City's appeal ultimately fails.

An independent disciplinary commission found Manchester City guilty last week of more than 100 breaches of the Premier League's financial rules spanning nine seasons. City have lodged their appeal and will face a separate sanctions hearing, but the scale of the findings has left their fellow top-flight clubs with little sympathy for the reigning champions.

Punishment must fit the crime

The prevailing mood among rival clubs is that the punishment must match the severity and duration of the offending. With rule-breaking spread across nine seasons and deemed to have distorted competition, a penalty lasting just one season — such as relegation followed by an immediate return — is not considered adequate by many in the league.

The consensus is clear: Premier League rules must be respected by every club, regardless of size or standing. A sanction that expires after a single season cannot, in the view of City's rivals, reflect wrongdoing carried out across nearly a decade.

Self-interest and integrity

City's relegation would naturally benefit several clubs. It would reduce the number of sides going down this season, remove one of the title contenders, and free up a European qualification place. Rival clubs acknowledge these incentives but insist the bigger principle — the integrity of the competition — takes precedence.

Manchester City, for their part, remain adamant that they have done nothing wrong. The club stated when lodging their appeal that