Manchester City are expected to escape relegation to League Two despite facing a severe punishment for multiple alleged breaches of financial rules.
The club has appealed after an independent commission found Manchester City guilty. However, the Premier League is understood to want the punishment announced before the appeal is decided, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
A decision on Manchester City’s appeal is unlikely to be delivered before the end of January. That has prompted the league to consider proceeding with the announcement of its punishment before the appeal process has concluded.
Sources cited by the newspaper say the most likely sanction is a substantial points deduction, together with a significant fine. The points penalty would be expected to send Manchester City to the Championship for at least one season.
The deduction could be large enough to keep the club in the second tier for several seasons rather than just one, depending on its final scale and the team’s position in the league table.
Manchester City will not, however, be sent to League Two, the fourth tier of English football.
