Man City Sanctions

 **Manchester City: if they’re guilty, punish them — but dissolving the Premier League would be self-defeating**

The frustration in your question is understandable. Manchester City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023 with 115 alleged breaches of financial rules between 2009–10 and 2017–18. City deny wrongdoing. Whether the final verdict is still pending or has just landed, the fact that this has dragged on for years is itself a scandal. For fans of other clubs, it feels like justice has been slow-walked.

But two things can be true at once: the process can be far too slow, and “dissolve the entire governing body” can still be the wrong answer.

This is not a simple parking ticket. The case involves alleged false accounting, hidden payments to managers and players, sponsorship deals, and non-cooperation. There are 115 charges, thousands of documents, elite lawyers on both sides, and a parallel legal fight over the Premier League’s associated-party transaction rules. That explains the delay. It does not excuse an indefinite delay.

If City are found guilty, a fine alone may be nowhere near enough. For a club of that wealth, a cheque can look like the cost of doing business. The sanctions that actually matter are sporting ones: points deductions, transfer bans, expulsion, or retrospective action where the rules allow. If the breaches are proven, the punishment should fit the scale of the alleged cheating.

But punishment can only come after a fair hearing. “They should have been punished already” is not how any legal system works — however frustrating that is. A slow tribunal is not proof of guilt, and it is not proof of innocence either.

So why not dissolve the Premier League? Because it would not punish City. The charges exist under Premier League rules. If you dissolve the body, you risk voiding the tribunal’s authority and the sanctions themselves. Dissolution would likely help City, not hurt them. It would also punish every other club, fan, player, worker and community that depends on the league.

The real problem is not that a governing body exists. The problem is that this governing body has failed to deliver timely, transparent justice. If the Premier League has been incompetent or compromised, its leadership should be held accountable, not the entire structure burned down.

Better demands are: an independent regulator with real powers, statutory deadlines for major cases, a fast-track sports tribunal, full publication of evidence and decisions, and reforms so no wealthy club can delay justice for years.

If City are guilty, they should face the appropriate sporting sanction. If the Premier League has failed, it should be reformed and its leaders replaced. But dissolving the whole system is not justice — it is chaos. The real demand is simple: a verdict, and then a punishment that fits the breaches.