La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for Manchester City to receive the “most severe sanction” available if the club is found to have breached financial regulations.
Reports on Friday claimed that an independent panel had found City guilty of all but one of the 115 charges brought against them for alleged violations of Premier League rules.
However, the English top flight has yet to officially announce the verdict, and there has been no indication so far of what punishment the club could face.
Manchester City, who are backed by Abu Dhabi ownership, have consistently denied the allegations. Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak also issued a defiant statement on Saturday, reiterating his belief that City would ultimately be cleared.
Possible sanctions could include a significant points deduction and potentially even expulsion from the Premier League. Other clubs are also reportedly seeking legal advice over possible compensation.
In a lengthy social media post on Sunday, Tebas stressed the importance of having “equal rules for all” in protecting the integrity and long-term sustainability of football.
Speaking at a football performance and health summit in London on Tuesday, the Spaniard said he had been voicing concerns about Manchester City since 2017.
Tebas believes the club, which has dominated English football over the past decade, should face a severe punishment if the reported breaches are confirmed.
“To have been breaking the rules for more than 10 years, however minor the breaches may have been, is very serious,” he said.
“So there has to be a severe punishment for breaking the rules, not just to set an example, but because the rules were broken.”
He added: “What has happened is very important, and hopefully it will be a before-and-after moment, not just in the Premier League but in European football as well, because the Manchester effect was an effect across all of Europe.”
Tebas also urged the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to reconsider its decision to overturn the two-year European ban imposed on Manchester City by UEFA in 2020.
“In my opinion, the decisions of the CAS should be reviewed, because they lifted the sanction that UEFA had imposed on them (City),” he said.
“The sanctions were also lifted in a very questionable way. And now it has been shown that UEFA was right about the sanctions it had imposed on Manchester City.”
Manchester City have undergone a major transformation since Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group took control of the club in 2008.
Since then, City have won eight Premier League titles, one Champions League crown and numerous other major trophies over the past 15 years.
