La Liga President Calls for Harshest Possible Sanctions Against Manchester City

La Liga president Javier Tebas has called for the harshest possible punishment against Manchester City to serve as a warning to any club attempting to circumvent financial regulations. The Spaniard has waged a long-standing crusade against what he describes as "financial doping" in European football, regularly speaking out in recent years against the financial models of clubs like Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Shockwaves reverberated across English football on Friday with the news that an independent commission had found Manchester City guilty of 114 out of 115 alleged financial breaches. City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak issued a statement expressing full confidence that the club will clear its name. An inevitable appeals process will almost certainly delay any formal sanctions, which currently remain subject to widespread speculation — with expulsion from the Premier League seen as the most extreme potential outcome.

"I don't know the exact rules, but I believe the maximum punishment stipulated in the Premier League's rulebook for such cases must be applied," Tebas stated during a FIFPRO professional football forum in London.

"The punishment has to set an example. This is not about a father-to-child relationship; it is a sanction to ensure the rules are respected. Breaking the rules for over a decade, regardless of how minor the infractions might be, is an extremely serious issue. Therefore, the penalty must be severe. Not only to set a precedent, but because the rules were broken.

"We have to decide whether we are committed to sustainable and clean football across all competitions, or if, as many clubs are now claiming, we simply accept that titles may have been lost to other teams when it should never have come to that," he added.

"What has unfolded is of monumental importance, and I hope it represents a turning point not just for the Premier League, but for European football as a whole, because the 'Manchester effect' has been felt throughout Europe."

Tebas also urged for a review of the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) decision in 2020 to overturn UEFA's two-year European ban on Manchester City for Financial Fair Play violations. CAS also slashed the club's fine from €30 million (£25 million) to €10 million (£8 million), exonerating City of allegations of "disguising equity funding as sponsorship contributions" and ruling that many of UEFA's claims were "either not established or time-barred."

"In my opinion, the CAS rulings should be reviewed — particularly the portion that cleared City, as those sanctions were overturned in a very questionable manner," Tebas asserted.