The eyes of half of Europe are currently on the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, on the stars of City, on the possible sanction facing the English team, and on the consequences it could have for all of European football. And that's why the eyes of half of Europe are also on the Brunel Building in London, right in front of Paddington station, where the headquarters of the Premier League are located. There, in those offices, under media and political pressure, an independent commission will decide in the coming weeks the punishment for the 'citizen' team after being found guilty of serious financial infractions committed between 2009 and 2018. The final verdict will come in the next few weeks, but for now, City will return to the pitch this Wednesday for a new Champions League match. They will do so with the symbolic support of Guardiola in the stands and under the scrutiny of the entire football continent.
The atmosphere within the City Football Academy is one of "extreme concern". Sources from the Manchester club's dressing room admit that the team was not aware of the seriousness of the situation and the consequences of a possible sanction until this summer when the club's management seriously considered the possibility of a significant punishment. And now, on the brink of the punishment, everyone is asking the same question: "What will happen?". "We don't know what will happen, but there is a lot of concern," voices close to the players acknowledge.
On September 29, 21 months after the end of the hearing, the independent commission handling City's case confirmed that the club used fictitious contracts, falsified its accounts, and breached the economic control rules of the Premier League, drastically reducing the expenses reported in its official accounts, raising the financial impact of the events to a figure close to £1 billion.
City has appealed the verdict of the commission, and if rejected, plans to take it to the UK Supreme Court. The appeal process would conclude, according to Premier League regulations, no more than two months after notification, and the commission would have to issue a ruling within 30 days after the last day of the appeal. In other words, between one process and the other, we would go until the first days of February.
Regarding the punishment, there will be a significant financial penalty, something that does not matter much to the City dressing room, but also, and this is crucial, a points deduction is being considered. This is where the crux of the matter lies. If the British club is sanctioned with a number of points that would lead to relegation, many of its stars have already warned the Etihad management that they will seek an exit from their contracts. Few would stay in the Championship. And some, even if there is no relegation, have already made it clear that they will consider their options if the club does not play European competition next season, as there is talk of a penalty of around 40 to 60 points.
And at the center of the equation, Erling Haaland. In January of last year, the Norwegian forward renewed with City until June 2034. It seemed like an agreement that tied him to the club for the next decade, but there are clauses in the contract that would facilitate an exit under certain circumstances. Relegation, obviously, is one of them. This is where Real Madrid comes in. Well, Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, or Arsenal. Teams that have been keeping an eye on the possible City sanction to take advantage of the situation.
The white team has an excellent relationship with Haaland's agents and family, was close to signing him when he played for Borussia Dortmund, met with him and his entourage on several occasions, and has maintained almost constant communication since then. First-hand. And it will continue until a sanction is announced.
The team, in the midst of reconstruction after Guardiola's departure and Maresca's arrival, awaits developments while half of Europe sighs for them.